Meanwhile (Sequel to In the Negative)
by Mojotheomegawolf
Summary: Trouble always comes at the most inopportune moments in Jasper. With the imminent transfer of leadership on everybody's minds, there is already enough stress to go around, but with a rebellion stirring and an unfortunate hunting accident which leaves Kate crippled, and forces Humphrey to find a way to fill her pawprints, it seems as though things could not get any worse.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Nature Calls**

The hypnotic call of the crickets was slowly swept away as the sweet song of the early bird began to fill the air of the park in the company of Spring's sun, which signaled to all of its creatures that the time had come to start the day anew.

Light crept slowly across the land, beating back the shadows of the night and forcing them to retreat into the deepest holes where they would hide until their nightly master freed them once more from the tyranny of the sun, and as the light spread, the song of the early bird was joined by a vast chorus of chirps and calls which let all who could hear know that it was a great day to be alive.

But Kate wouldn't believe it even if she could understand what they were saying, as that morning she was suddenly blasted by an excruciating pain in her stomach, one which was so intense that it caused her to wake with a start.

"Oh!" she cried as she jerked herself free from her mate's grasp and held her stomach.

The sudden motion and outcry caused Humphrey's eyes to flash open.

"Kate," he said worriedly as he quickly turned over onto his stomach, "Kate, are you alright?"

Kate grimaced as she clutched her abdomen then panted as her pain subsided, but in its wake was left a horrible queasiness which churned her guts and sent her sprinting to the mouth of the den.

Humphrey followed and arrived behind her just as she paused outside and hurled into the grass.

"Kate," he called, pausing behind her, "Kate, what's the matter?"

Kate, once she finished vomiting, spat, wiped her mouth with the side of her paw and lifted her head.

"I don't know," she replied, blinking the tears out of her eyes, "it just kinda crept up on me all of a sudden."

Humphrey moved up to her side.

"Are you alright?" he asked, "what's wrong?"

"I don't know," Kate replied, "my stomach just started hurting and I got really sick, but I feel much better now."

"Do you need to go see the healer?" Humphrey asked, ready to cater to her every need.

Kate smiled.

"No, I probably just ate some bad caribou," she said assuringly, "I'll be alright."

Humphrey was not convinced.

"Are you sure?" he asked, "I don't want you going to work if you're sick."

Kate's smile softened and she stepped closer.

"Oh, don't worry about me," she said, nuzzling him.

Humphrey smiled despite himself.

"I still will," he admitted playfully, "I hate it when my alpha is not feeling good."

Kate chuckled and pulled away.

"I'm fine," she persisted, "I promise."

Humphrey sighed.

"Alright," he said in defeat, as he knew that his words could not prevent her from going to work, "just promise me that you'll take it easy."

"I will," she assured, beaming.

"Good," Humphrey replied, digressing, "now get out of here. You don't want to be late."

Kate smiled.

"I love you so much," she said, stepping forward and embracing him in a nuzzle.

"I love you too," Humphrey replied, returning his affection.

This embrace lasted only a brief moment before Kate pulled away.

"Alright," she said quickly, "I'll be back tonight, same time as usual."

Humphrey nodded.

"Alright, baby," he replied, "I'll see you then."

Kate nodded in reply then turned and took her leave.

Humphrey watched her go until she was no longer in view, then laughed and shook his head.

"If we had pups, they'd be the most stubborn wolves in all of Alberta," he mused with a smile, then turned and went back into the den.

Normally he would go back to sleep after saying his morning goodbyes, as he was anything but a morning wolf, but the commotion this morning rendered him wide awake, so he decided that he should just go ahead and get the day started.

The only problem with that was, he did not know what to do.

As an omega, he had no responsibilities to the pack, even now with his future position as its head, so he had no reason to be up before dawn. Therefore, his mornings were usually wasted away until about two hours after sunup, when he would finally drag himself out of bed and go find something to do until his mate came home. The only problem with that was, most of his daily activities revolved around goofing off with his friends, and he knew there was no way they would be up this early, so what was an omega to do?

He sighed and flattened his ears.

"I guess now is as good a time as any to get a bath," he mused, turning and walking back out into the coming morning.

He took a deep breath through the nose, finding that he rather enjoyed the taste of the morning air, and released it between his lips as he ran his eyes over the land, which was bathed in a soft, silver light as the sun worked to thrust its fingers over the horizon, then embarked on his short journey to the lake.

He arrived at its edge and watched as frogs and turtles darted through the thin cloak of fog which hovered a few inches above the lake in seek of refuge beneath its surface and followed, though he inserted himself slowly, as the water was quite cool in the morning, as he discovered.

Finally, after a great deal of self-motivation, Humphrey submerged his entire body then began to bathe himself. This experience, however, was anything but pleasant, as it was mere moments after he had completely entered the lake that his body began to tremble violently and his teeth began to chatter, and it was not long before he decided that he would cut his bath short.

He washed only what was vital, and did so quickly, taking only the time to scrub himself for about thirty seconds before turning and making haste for the shore.

Once he finally freed himself from the frigid water, he shook his fur dry of whatever moisture he could and took a seat so he may bask in the morning air once more, grateful that the earth was finally starting to warm up once more in the wake of the waning winter. He allowed his eyes to drift off toward the east, where he knew Kate was probably just arriving for her daily assignments, and found himself recalling the events which transpired about fifteen minutes ago. He really felt as though he should have tried harder to make her stay, because in her condition, she was in no shape to go to work, and in the back of his mind, he could not escape the feeling that calamity was imminent. What if something were to happen to her because he allowed her to go to work when she was not at the top of her game? What if she got hurt, or worse, killed? After all, hunting was a daunting task as it was, based off of what she told him; he could only imagine how difficult it would be to hunt without all of her strength.

Then again, though, she said that she was fine, so perhaps he was worrying about her too much. It was just hard for him not to worry after everything that had happened in Alpha School a few months ago, and if he lost her now after everything they had gone through together, he was not sure if he would be strong enough to continue living.

He quickly pulled himself out of the recessions of his mind, as he did not wish to dwell on such thoughts, and allowed his eyes to slowly migrate back in the direction of their den, but found that he did not wish to go home, because there he would only think of her, and the vicious cycle of worry and fret would only continue to exacerbate. So, with no real destination in mind, he rose to his paws and set out on a walk through the territory, but always found that his thoughts would drift back to her. Then again, what else was new?

A&amp;Ω

Kate could definitely sense that there was something different about her body that morning as she arrived in the valley for her briefing, but she could not quite pin down what it was. She just hoped and prayed that whatever it was that was happening, she hadn't caught worms. Such a disgusting thought caused her to shudder, so she quickly banished it from her mind and fell in next to her father's Beta, Hutch, so they may brief their group on the morning's hunt.

"Okay," he began as he ran his eyes over the two who stood before him, "we are going to be deviating a bit from standard procedure today. The scouts report that the caribou have begun rutting, so the bulls will be highly aggressive," he explained, "trying to approach them head on would be nearly suicidal, so we are going to have to get a little bit crafty. Alpha, Kate, since you will be leading the hunt, you will decide what we do."

Kate nodded and took a moment to ponder the situation.

"Okay, unfortunately the way this is going to have to work, is two of us will have to act as bait to draw the bulls away from the herd," she began, "then the other two will sneak in during the confusion and take down one of the cows."

A pause.

"Since this will be a high-risk operation, Hutch and I will act as the decoys," she continued, "you two hang back until we give you the signal, then advance."

The two young wolves nodded.

"Now, Jake, Austyn, I know this is your first hunt and you two want to prove yourselves, but I want you to put your safety above your pride," Kate stressed, "Watch each other's backs, and don't take a single unnecessary risk in order to make a kill."

"Yes ma'am," Jake replied.

"Understood, alpha," Austyn voiced.

"Good," Kate replied with a nod, "everybody is clear on their assignments?"

All present nodded.

"Then let's do this," she said and began to lead them to the hunting grounds.

A&amp;Ω

Humphrey was tired of trying to entertain himself, so he finally decided to go bang on his friends' dens and drag their butts out of bed, but as he was making his way toward Salty's den, he heard a rush of paws and a voice yell his name.

Startled, Humphrey turned and saw Lilly slide to a stop before him.

"Lilly, where's the fire?" Humphrey asked with a chuckle, "y-"

"Humphrey, it's Kate," she interrupted quickly, "there was an accident, and she's been hurt."

Humphrey's eyes widened.

"What happened?" he asked frantically.

"I don't know," Lilly replied, "I came looking for you as soon as I heard the news."

"Where is she?" Humphrey demanded.

"In Amina's den," she replied.

Humphrey didn't wait to hear another word before he took off in a dead sprint toward the den, with Lilly in his company.

"Why didn't you listen to me?" he thought as he ran, "why couldn't you have just stayed home?"

Two minutes later, the pair bolted into the den and stopped in its center, but before Humphrey could even ask where his mate was, the healer ushered him out.

"Let go of me," Humphrey resisted, "I need to see her."

"Humphrey, Kate is fine," she assured as the two exited, "she just broke her leg during the hunt."

"Then why won't you let me see her?" he demanded angrily.

"Because there's something else," she replied.

"What is it?" Humphrey asked, "what's wrong?"

Amina placed a paw on his shoulder.

"Nothing is wrong," she replied, "I just thought that you'd like to hear the news together."

"News?" Humphrey asked confused, "what news?"

Amina smiled.

"Follow me and you'll find out," she said as she turned and walked back into the den.

Humphrey's face twisted into a look of befuddlement as he followed her inside, but that melted as he saw his mate lying on a low table made from flat stone.

"Hey, Humphie," she greeted half-heartedly.

Humphrey's lips tightened into a small smile as he approached.

"What happened to you?" he asked her, relieved as he gently nuzzled her face.

Kate chuckled, then pulled away.

"Something stupid," she replied.

Despite himself, Humphrey allowed a chuckle to tickle the base of his throat.

"How are you feeling?" he questioned.

"Okay, I guess," she answered, "the leg hurts like hell, but at least it'll take my mind off of the stomachache for a while."

"Yeah, about that," Amina chimed, causing all present to turn to her. She then turned to Kate. "When I was looking you over earlier, I discovered something pretty interesting."

Kate lowered her eyes.

"Please don't tell me I have worms," she whimpered.

Amina laughed softly.

"No, far from it," she replied, then paused to build suspense, "but did you know that you are about three weeks pregnant?"

All eyes around the room widened, and all jaws dropped.

"She- she's what?" Humphrey stammered, not entirely sure that he had heard correctly.

Amina smiled and placed a paw on his shoulder.

"Congratulations, son," she commended, "you're gonna be a father."

Well, here it is, folks, chapter one of the much anticipated sequel to In the Negative. I hope that everybody likes what they see so far, and again I would like to thank any who read, and give out a special thank you to all who leave me a review. So that's pretty much it, and I hope to see y'all up ahead.

MTOW out.


	2. Winds of Change

**Chapter 2: Winds of Change**

A couple seconds ticked by before the initial shock wore off and everybody inside of the den surged upon Humphrey and Kate with smiles and words of congratulations.

"This is great!" Lilly exclaimed as she bounded up to her sister and immediately embraced her in a nuzzle.

"Woah! Easy, easy there, killer!" Kate groaned, as Lilly, in her excitement had accidentally bumped her injured leg.

"Oops, sorry," Lilly replied sheepishly as she distanced herself from her sister.

Kate chuckled softly, then groaned as she repositioned her leg so that it was comfortable once more.

"It's okay, sis," she assured as she turned her eyes over to her husband who stood beside her, "nothing could ruin this moment."

Jack's approach was casual and he patted his son on the back proudly, but Mary was hysterical. She nearly knocked him to the ground when she embraced him and immediately her tears of joy soaked the fur on his shoulder.

Winston was never a wolf of physical contact, so it came as a surprise whenever he moved in at Humphrey's side and tugged him into a quick, one-arm hug, but Humphrey's shock was so great that the contact barely registered in his mind.

"I'm gonna be a father," he said softly, then turned his eyes down to Kate, who was in the process of receiving a gentle nuzzle from her mother, and when his gaze fell upon her, a small smile formed upon his lips, "we're gonna have pups."

Kate's eyes filled with tears as she gazed up at her mate, who, still in a bit of a daze, leaned down to embrace her.

Winston, Eve, and Humphrey's parents distanced themselves so that the couple may have their moment and as their necks wrapped around one another, Kate sniffled.

Humphrey heard and his smile broadened.

"Don't cry, Kate," he crooned softly.

"I'm sorry," she apologized as she attempted to blink the tears from her eyes, "I'm just so happy."

Humphrey silently chuckled once, then pulled away and turned his eyes down to Kate's side. Kate wondered at first what he intended to do, but when he began to lower his head toward her body, she understood and exposed her stomach.

"Hey, guys," he whispered softly as he gently placed his paw on her stomach, "it's your daddy."

The amount of joy he felt each time he spoke a word of fatherhood was so tremendous that he felt as though his heart would explode. Almost a year ago, when he and Kate shared their first experience of tender affection on their honeymoon night, having pups was one of his greatest fears. Not only did he fear that he would not be able to provide for a family and be a positive influence in their lives which would guide them through their development into adulthood, he feared becoming the kind of man his father was; but his near-death experience in Alpha School five months ago showed him just how fragile life was and proved to him that no matter what anybody or anything tried to do, he was a good man, and there was absolutely nothing that was going to change that. Still, he knew that being a father was a huge responsibility, and there was a part of him that still feared that he wasn't ready.

After all, he did not ever complete his training, because by the time he had fully recovered from his ordeal, Winter had come, and Alpha School was nearly half over. He did not have time to get caught back up, nor did he have Kate's permission, as he discovered, to return to Alpha School.

However, something amazing happened. Winston met with Garth, his new co-commander with the unfortunate passing of Tony, and together they agreed that Humphrey and Kate would be allowed to assume the roles of leadership, regardless of Humphrey's rank as an omega. This was a bold statement which stirred a great deal of unpleasant controversy amongst certain members of the pack, but Winston and Garth stuck by their decision, as they believed that by allowing an omega to run the pack when the time for the leadership transfer finally arrived, it would serve as an excellent political example for those packs who had their doubts about the ordinance which abolished the law that had divided alphas and omegas for so long.

This was all water under the bridge, and hardly anything that Kate and Humphrey took into consideration at present, though, as the two were so overpowered with raw happiness that it completely enveloped them in its pleasant spell.

Winston, Eve, Garth and Lilly sat at a brief distance and watched as the two continued to relish in the sacred blessing which they had received, and as they watched, Winston's smile broadened.

"Look at me," he mused proudly, but softly, "I'm a grandpa."

Eve smiled and gently deposited her head on her mate's shoulder then closed her eyes.

"I don't think there's ever been a more perfect day," she crooned.

A&amp;Ω

On the far side of the park, there was a place where no wolves dared to venture, as within this place there could be felt a presence the likes of which would raise the fur on the spines of any whose paths would lead them too near. From the outside, it was a serene, and beautiful place, with large, luscious trees, and formations in the rocks which were nothing short of magnificent in the eyes of passers by, but the story which surrounded it was enough to make even the bravest wolves shudder with fear.

Few wolves knew of such a place, and even fewer would speak of it, but those who knew the story knew that such a place was abandoned for good reason.

Decades ago, when the four packs were still in the process of ratifying the laws which would bring constitution to their newly formed alliance, there existed a prison which was said to be so brutal that most of the individuals sent there would either die or be driven mad by the sadistic treatment they received from the wolves placed to hold them there. Stories leaked through the vine of rations which were barely enough to sustain a pup, frequent beatings from the guards, cramped, unsanitary dens which held so many wolves that there was no room on the floor to sit or lie down, torture of inmates, and horrible medical experiments which either resulted in the deaths of their subjects, or left them grossly disfigured for the rest of their lives.

When the laws were finally established, such a prison was ordered to be shut down, but the wolves it held were the park's most dangerous criminals, and with a lack of space to hold them all, the wolves who acted as the prison guards simply killed the inmates in their dens. By the time it was said and done, 25 wolves were slaughtered and their bodies buried out in the woods beyond the prison. The establishment was abandoned, but those who entered swore that the prison was not empty. Rumors floated around that such a place was haunted, but no proof of such paranormal activities was ever recorded.

Gauge, however, could not help but feel a chill run up his spine the first time he set foot in this place, and he wondered exactly why it was that his uncle had chosen such an unsettling place to train him, but now it was all crystal clear for him.

/A&amp;Ω/

Gauge shifted about tumultuously as he and his uncle stood before the trees which surrounded the abandoned prison area and turned a gaze which sought for comfort up to the grey wolf, whose posture portrayed a calm the likes of which he had never before seen.

"Do you feel that?" the grey wolf asked him dryly.

Gauge swallowed as he attempted to eat his anxiety, then cocked his head.

"Feel what?" he asked evenly.

The grey wolf continued to stare off into the trees, and no visible emotion took life upon his features.

"The cold grip of fear" the grey wolf replied.

"I'm not afraid," Gauge insisted as calmly as he could.

For the first time in minutes, the grey wolf blinked, but his eyes never left the trees.

"Your heart rate has escalated since we arrived," he began, "I can hear it pounding away in your chest. Your breathing has lengthened; that's your body's attempt to settle your heart, but fear has clouded your mind and is taking control of your bodily functions. As a result, you have begun to perspire, and I can tell you now based off of the scent that it is not due to the temperature. I know this place frightens you, Gauge, and that is precisely why we are here. Come."

Keeping his eyes forward, the grey wolf set himself in motion once more and began to make his way toward the trees. Gauge remained where he stood for a moment, as hesitation temporarily anchored him in place, but after his uncle had traveled about five yards, he followed.

The two traversed through a thin line of trees until finally they reached a clearing, and in this clearing, there was what appeared to be a small nesting ground which had long since been deserted, as the forest had reclaimed much of what the wolves who had been here before had altered. Gauge ran his eyes out over the clearing as he came to a stop at his uncle's side.

"What is this place?" he asked, stunned.

"Your new home," the grey wolf replied, finally moving his eyes down to the younger wolf.

Gauge swallowed.

"Why here," he questioned uneasily.

"Because in order to become fearless, one must become one with that which scares him," Gauge's uncle answered, "Alpha School merely teaches its students to mask fear, but what nobody ever understood is that fear cannot be controlled. Fear is not something that is learned," the grey wolf lectured, "fear is instinct, the very first emotion we feel when birth rips us from the warm embrace of our mother's womb. It is a power beyond our control. That is why it must be destroyed."

Gauge listened intently to what his uncle was saying, but he was still having a hard time grasping what it was that the grey wolf was trying to convey, as what he said seemed to contradict itself, but before he could dwell too long on the thought, the grey wolf spoke.

"It's time for your first lesson," he said, then, without any warning, he launched himself at the young wolf.

Surprise caused Gauge to immediately lock up, and before he could comprehend what had happened, he was taken to the ground where he was promptly beaten.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing!" Gauge cried out as his uncle's paws landed painfully on his chest and sides.

"Fear is immobilizing," the grey wolf seethed as he continued to beat the young wolf with his paws, "even a fraction of a second can mean the difference between life and death, so you must always expect the unexpected and be ready to react at a moment's notice. Otherwise, you could be easily overpowered and destroyed."

Finally, the older wolf ceased his assault and stepped away from his nephew, who lied on the ground bruised and sore, but not seriously injured, as he had made a point to exercise caution during the course of this lesson.

"You're lucky that this was only your lecture," the grey wolf informed as he turned and sat down.

Gauge held his abdomen in his arms and winced as the dull throb of pain pounded in his ribs.

"Later lessons promise to be a lot less forgiving."

A&amp;Ω

Fear was weakness, and weakness meant death. Hesitation was no longer an option. All decisions would have to be made in a fraction of a second, and if he hesitated at all, it could cost him his life. If he were to survive this, he would have to be as sharp and fast as the strike of a snake and he knew that it did not matter what challenge lied ahead for him in this last test; no matter what happened, nothing could break his concentration.

Gauge stood in the clearing under the eyes of his uncle and under the eyes of several other wolves; most of whom had their doubts that he would have what it took to truly become a part of what they were. But still they watched with great anticipation, as they knew that, one way or another, blood was to be spilt today. They had all seen this test before, and each of them knew first hand that it could go either way, as this task involved one of the most difficult decisions and actions imaginable.

Gauge, as is custom with this final test, was kept in the dark about everything, and henceforth had no idea what to expect, or what horrid thing he would be required to do. All he knew was that if he passed this final test, he would become one of the faction.

His experiences here hardened him, almost making him appear to be a being without conscience. Everything he had been through, the beatings, the grueling training, the total and calculated destruction of everything that had made him wolf, was in preparation for this moment, and now that it had arrived, he felt only anxiousness. However, his racing heart, his trembling legs, and his quivering breath were not symptoms of nervousness, but of excitement. In his time here, his love for the fight had evolved into what could almost be considered an addiction. His uncle had watched him slowly transform from a frightened pup, to a machine of war, and while the others may have had their doubts, there was no doubt in his mind that Gauge would be exactly what he needed him to be.

Gauge took a deep breath then turned his eyes over to his uncle and gave a nod.

"I'm ready."

The grey wolf nodded as well.

"Bring her."

All eyes turned to the den on the far side of the clearing, where from out of one of the dens came a beautiful, young female in the company of two other wolves.

However, it was clear by the way this female thrashed and struggled that she was in peril.

The initial emergence stirred a slight unrest inside of Gauge, as the part of him that needed to be destroyed could begin to imagine what it was that his uncle wanted him to do, and that part of him was not entirely certain that he could go through with it. However, he brushed this emotion aside and remained composed, because he knew that they were watching him, and he was looking to impress.

The female was dragged out before Gauge and thrown to the ground, where she began to sob.

"Please don't hurt me" she begged, "I'll do anything."

Gauge simply stared coldly down upon her, then lifted his gaze to his uncle, who watched him with excited eyes.

"This is supposed to be an organization of justice and purity," Gauge began, cleverly disguising a hint of hesitation with a pretense that he wished his actions to be justified, "what reason is she here today?"

Subconsciously he was hoping that this wolf was some type of criminal, because he knew that he was to be her executioner, but maybe, if he knew this wolf deserved to die, he could find the courage to do what he had to do.

"It doesn't matter why," the grey wolf replied, "if you are going to be a part of this, I need to know that you can perform. A lot of wolves will die to save this park, but that is the cost of ridding it of the impure, now do your job."

Gauge lowered his eyes to the female, whose gaze met his and he watched as she began once more to softly plead with him not to hurt her. Gauge was conflicted, because for all he knew, he could be murdering an innocent mother, but he knew that there was no turning back now. He had to do what he had to do. So, with as much imagination that he could conjure, he turned the wolf before him in the one wolf he hated more than anybody else in the park. The female's sleek build broadened slightly and her brown fur turned grey until Gauge found himself gazing down upon the form of Humphrey. A cruel smiled formed upon his lips as he watched him beg for his life at his paws, and he felt his excitement build once more.

"Shut up, bitch," Gauge demanded as he placed his paw on her neck and forced her face to the ground, "you'll only make things worse for yourself by crying."

The she-wolf, however, did not heed his warning and began to scream as she felt him apply pressure on her neck.

From aside, the grey wolf watched with eyes which gleamed with excitement, as he took great pride in his nephew's brutality, because he knew now they would be unstoppable.

"No, please, don't do this!" the female cried as she struggled to free herself, "please!"

Gauge, however, made sure that her pleas fell upon deaf ears and fit his teeth around her throat then began to squeeze.

The female began to choke and thrash, but the struggle seemed to excite the animal inside of Gauge, as he felt a smile birth itself upon his face. His fangs pierced the skin and for the first time he tasted the blood of another wolf. The experience was electrifying, as never before had he felt such a sense of absolute power as he did now, when the fate of another's existence rested solely upon him, and this sense of power was what drove him to make the final move.

With a slight growl, he latched down hard on the female's neck, then yanked his head to the right.

There was a dull pop, followed by a gargled cry, and as Gauge pulled his head away from the female's neck, a fountain of blood followed.

A barrage of cheers rose as Gauge lifted his head and spit the tissue-like skin to the ground, then wiped his lips with the side of his paw.

Never before had he known the sensation of being covered in blood, but now that it caked into the fur on his face and chest, he found the sensation to be quite grand. He allowed his eyes to fall down upon the wolf whom he had just murdered and the form of Humphrey slowly faded until the female was the one who lied at his paws, then smiled.

"Well done, Gauge," the grey wolf commended, "welcome to Operation Bloody Angel."


	3. The Dishonored Alpha

**Chapter 3: The Dishonored Alpha**

Every day was a struggle for Miles, as his ongoing battle with his alcoholism had not been kind to his health. He lied down at night feeling sick and woke up feeling sick the next morning, and the only way he could make himself feel better would be to tap into the berries he had near the back of his den and start eating. But he did not stop once the illness had been suppressed; he never did. He would proceed to consume the berries for the remainder of the day until, by the time night rolled around, he was almost too drunk to stand. It was then that he would stagger to the place where he slept and pass out, as without the alcohol in his system, he did not know if he would be able to find slumber- just as he was uncertain if he could get out of bed in the morning without it.

It was apparent to any who saw him that his addiction was taking a turn for the worst.

His eyes had begun to sink into his skull slightly and the fur on his body began to fade, but the worst part of this fight was the part that only he could see, and that was the depression.

He never did quite understand if he still ate berries because he was depressed that he had lost his job, or if he was depressed because, despite the promise he made to himself and to Kate to sober up when he was dishonorably discharged from his position as an alpha a little over five months ago, he still ate berries; but he did know that if he didn't stop, eventually there would come a time when he would pass out in a slump of intoxication and never wake up.

So why couldn't he just stop?

There were times in these past few months when he was on the brink of finally saying enough and putting the berries down for good, but each time he would set his mind to fulfill his promise, he would fall asleep, then wake up the next morning, and the vicious cycle would continue.

Still, there were many more times when he simply wished for an end. As an alpha, he was a functioning alcoholic, but since his termination, he had nothing to do besides wallow in self-loathing, and what else was there to comfort him? He had no friends anymore. They had all given up on him, because they knew that he had given up on himself a long time ago. The berries were his only friends now, but they only offered him temporary relief from his ailments, and sometimes, it seemed, they weren't his friends at all. On more occasions than he would like to admit, the berries were in fact his worst enemy. Guilt for his actions clouded his every thought, and the berries only made these emotions worse. He knew that he had let her down, and he knew that he did not deserve her friendship, even if, in spite of all he had done, she was still willing to be there for him if only he would allow her to be. Even after he learned that Humphrey had survived, he could not bring himself to look Kate in the face because he couldn't bear to see the disappointment in her eyes when she saw him like this, so he shut himself away from her completely.

And in spite of this, she still cared for his well-being.

Her loyalty to him as her friend was tremendous, and he loved her dearly for it, but over the course of the last few months, he made it a point to pretend that he hated her. For the most part, he would simply avoid her, but when avoiding her was not an option, he would speak to her in a terse, rude fashion which portrayed little interest in her presence. It hurt him deeply to treat Kate in such a fashion after she had always been so good to him, but he knew that what he was doing was probably going to kill him. He did not want her to still be close to him when they inevitably laid his body to rest. He could not bear to hurt her like that, so he found that the easiest way to pass on without causing more emotional damage was to make her hate him.

In spite of his best efforts, though, Kate still cared, and secretly she still kept an eye on him, but she hated what she saw.

It was painful for her to see Miles literally self-destructing before her eyes, but she knew that there was nothing that she could do. She had tried to help him before, but in order for her to help him, he first needed to want help, and she never saw such desire.

This didn't surprise her, though, as he had always been the prideful type, kinda like her. She knew that he would rather die than admit to anyone that he was weak or that he needed help, but if ever there was a time for him to find the courage to cry out for assistance it was now. She had considered organizing an intervention which would force Miles to go to rehab, but since he was an adult and not of immediate family she was not within her rights to do so. She did not know what she was going to do about him, because the last thing she wanted was to have to bury him, but with the way his habits and health continued to get worse, she would not be surprised if she would have to do so within the year.

What particularly bothered her about this whole situation, though, was the seeming lack of care on the behalf of her father and everybody else who once claimed to be his friend, but her father's apathy surprised her the most. Based on what her mother and father had told her over the course of her life, Miles and her father had been best friends since they went to Alpha School. He was the best man at her father's wedding, and was right there beside him whenever she and her little sister were born. In fact, many of Kate's fondest memories growing up involved Miles in some fashion, because he was practically her second father, but as she looked closer at their history, she could see that he and her father had been in a falling out for a long time.

It always seemed like her father was constantly bailing him out of something, be it that he got arrested for aggravated assault or stood on grounds for job termination when he blew hunts and nearly got somebody killed; when he began his descent into alcoholism was probably when her father had begun to grow weary of saving him.

At first, though, Miles was a casual drinker and was responsible in his consumption. However, as time wore on, it became apparent that he was developing a problem. It was a subtle transition at first, and honestly understandable given the circumstances presented to him. This was the year that Winston had assigned him as an instructor at Alpha School, and at this stage in his life he had met somebody with whom he wished to spend the rest of eternity, and once he returned in the spring, he was going to pop the question and take some time off to spend with her, just the two of them. He bore a great amount of stress that winter, as he had yet to grow his bones in the field of teaching, and he would wind down by laying back in his den after the day's lessons and eating a few berries just to relax before he went to sleep. However, over the course of his first winter as an instructor, when he was teaching Kate's generation of students, something happened which he did not expect; something that ultimately changed his life forever.

It was obvious to him as soon as they embraced upon his return that she had something on her mind, but he shoved that off to the side, because he had an incredibly important question to ask her. He stammered over his words as any nervous fool in love would as he laid his heart on the line, but before he could ask the big question she stopped him; and that was when she broke his heart.

She laid it on him gently, but what a little space and time had done to their relationship still hit him pretty hard. She said that it happened out of the blue, and that it was the last thing that she had expected or desired to happen, but while Miles was away, she had found somebody else who stole her heart. Miles was deeply hurt by this news, and when he met the individual for whom she had fallen he wanted to tear him apart, but he could tell just by looking at them that they were perfect for each other. She glowed in his presence in a fashion which he had never seen while she was with him; so he told her that he was happy for her, but even a pup could tell that he was lying.

Following this incident, he fell into a deep depression and his rate of consumption skyrocketed. Kate was old enough to understand at this point what was going on with her friend and when she found out why, it upset her deeply, but at the time she paid no attention because she had other matters to worry about. Out of nowhere she was blasted by the news that she would have to marry a complete stranger, so Miles' problem became a secondary thought for her. Once she and Humphrey got kidnapped, the thought slipped her mind completely and did not return until sometime shortly after their wedding during the party when her father had to literally drag Miles home because he got drunk and started trying to pick a fight with his ex-girlfriend and her new companion. Miles later apologized, of course, when he had sobered up the next day, but his apology did little to ease his guilt, or the disappointment in Winston's eyes.

It took Miles months to get over his ex-girlfriend, but unfortunately for him when the heartache faded and he decided that she was not worth the berries or the time, the berries had already claimed him. At this point, there was not a day that passed when he did not eat berries; but his continued consumption no longer had anything to do with mending a broken heart. Now he ate them for the taste and the buzz, because he had acquired an unfortunate appreciation for both. For the most part, though, he remained functional during the day while he was an instructor, but when the alcohol level in his system began to fall, it was noticed, even by a few of his students, that he became jumpy and irritable. However, after the break, he would always return spry and mellow, because he would have by then replenished his needy cells. Only on rare occasions, such as that which cost him his job, did he lose control of his habit and allow it to get the better of him; but now everything had changed. He had fallen hard, and there were many who doubted that he would ever be able to get back up.

But Kate still treasured their friendship, and as such, wanted to be sure that Miles received the good news first hand. However, due to her current state (even though she had protested vociferously to being confided) Humphrey insisted that she stay in their den while he went over to Miles' home to fetch him so the two of them could tell him together.

Humphrey found himself troubled by this as he ventured toward the den of his mate's oldest friend, though, because despite their friendship through Kate, he was not entirely comfortable with the thought of having an alcoholic with a history of drunken rage in the presence of his pups, whether they were born yet or not. That was not a good atmosphere in which to place them, and he certainly did not want them to be around when he decided to get his feelings hurt. He and Kate discussed this, of course, and finally they reached an agreement which eased Humphrey's mind, if only slightly. If he wanted to get near the pups after they were born, he would have to sober up; but Humphrey somehow knew that would never happen. Still, this was important to his mate, so he set his own apprehensions aside and focused on his primary objective: pampering the mother of his children and doing whatever he could to make her happy, just so long as it didn't involve walking around too much for the week or two.

Humphrey approached Miles' den and paused with about ten paces between himself and the hole under a fallen tree as he searched for the proper words that he should use to tempt him into coming over. After all, he had not been blind to the strain that his alcoholism had on his and Kate's friendship. Finally, he decided that a general outline was all he would be able to piece together at this time and pressed forward. As he drew near to the mouth of the den, the scent of fermented berries forced its way invasively into his nostrils, which caused him to wrinkle his nose, as he only appreciated the smell when he partook in their consumption, and a soft groan wafted into his ears.

This sound caught his attention and caused concern to build inside of him.

"Miles?" he called as he stepped inside of the den, but when he saw the older wolf sitting in the middle of the floor and slowly dragging his claw across his wrist, he gasped, "Miles, what are you doing!"

Miles lifted his eyes slowly to Humphrey as the omega rushed forward and knocked his paw away so he could no longer hurt himself. However, in his inebriated state, Miles stumbled and fell to the floor.

"Miles, are you out of your mind?" Humphrey scolded as he stood over the drunken alpha.

"You don't understand," Miles slurred as blood seeped from his wrist, "I deserve this."

"Miles, you know that isn't true," Humphrey insisted and restrained the older wolf as he attempted to administer another cut.

"But I'm an appalling failure," he argued, on the brink of tears, as his emotions were being fueled by the alcohol in his system, "I-"

"Miles, all you ever are is what you make yourself," Humphrey interrupted sternly, "and if you're a failure, it's only because that's what you've allowed yourself to become."

Miles' jaw locked, but he remained silent.

"We told you that you need to quit, but you haven't," Humphrey continued, "and the only reason you haven't is because you don't really want to."

"I wanna quit, dammit!" Miles yelled and clumsily turned over onto his chest. He then took a deep breath as he calmed himself down. "It's just..."

"Just what," Humphrey demanded dryly, as he was in no mood for excuses.

"It's just... hard," Miles answered morosely, "I've used them so many times to run from my problems that, now that they have become the problem, I don't know how else to escape."

Humphrey sighed and took a seat before the downtrodden alpha, at a loss for words, and for a moment silence droned between them. However, the heaviness which filled the atmosphere gave him a brief window of thought, and a problem which had plagued the back of his mind since he first discovered the news of his mate's pregnancy pushed its way to the front, which then set his thoughts in motion and made him realize that perhaps he had found a solution. He knew that it was a long shot, even with favorable rounding, but he needed help, and maybe, just maybe, Miles could be the one to help him. He just needed to play his cards right and hope that the time and effort he was about to invest would not be a waste. He considered his next statement carefully, then spoke.

"Miles, if you are serious about this, then I will help you get sober," Humphrey promised.

Miles sighed and lowered his eyes.

"I've heard this speech before from Winston," he replied morosely, "but I let him down, and I'm afraid I'll do the same to you."

Humphrey again took a moment to think, and, even though he knew Kate would be upset with him for ruining the surprise, he figured that a proper incentive would motivate Miles to kick his addiction and better himself, so he would just have to dive in head first and hope Kate didn't rip his tail off when she found out that he had spoiled the surprise.

"If you won't do it for me, or for yourself, then do it for Kate," Humphrey began, and watched as Miles turned his head away in shame, "she wanted for us to deliver the news together, but I'm not gonna let her see you like this."

He paused as Miles lowered his eyes in shame.

"We just found out today that Kate is pregnant," Humphrey announced seriously.

The news caused Miles to slowly turn his head back to Humphrey.

"Pregnant?" he asked, uncertain if he had heard right.

Humphrey nodded.

"That's right," he replied, "we're gonna have pups, and they're gonna need somebody to call their godfather." He paused for a moment to gauge Miles' reaction, but for the moment, his face remained as it was when he first heard the news of Kate's pregnancy. "Now, Kate and I have discussed this matter thoroughly and we have decided to elect you to fill that roll if you want it," he began again in a tone which foreshadowed the 'but' to follow, "but only if you can clean up your act."

Miles remained silent for a moment as he attempted to regain control over himself, but the inebriated state of his mind and body hindered this process drastically and it took him nearly a minute to respond.

"Y-you want... me to be their godfather?" he asked, stunned.

Humphrey nodded.

"Yes," he replied, then reiterated his terms, "but again, only if you can kick your habits or show major improvement by the time they are born, because we do not want an alcoholic anywhere near our pups."

"I understand," Miles replied, "but I just don't know if I have it in me."

Miles made a point to never cry in front of anybody, as to him it was a sign of weakness, but in his drunken state, and because of the news he had received, he broke down and began to openly sob on the floor of the den.

Humphrey was not nearly as close to Miles as Kate was, so seeing him cry made him slightly uncomfortable, but given the circumstances, he knew that the alpha needed comforting, so he sidled up to him and placed a hesitant paw on his shoulder.

Miles continued to sob and Humphrey continued to provide moral support, but the bodily disturbance his tears caused set in motion an intense stirring in his stomach which caused his body to lurch and vomit to fire out from his mouth.

Humphrey retracted quickly, as some of the drunken alpha's vomit had splashed onto his paw, then returned his attention quickly to Miles, who continued to gag and convulse on the floor. The thought that he had just been disgorged upon disgusted him, but he figured that he had better get used to other wolves' various fluids if he was going to be a father, so he quickly, but carefully, turned Miles over so that he would not be lying in a pool of his own vomit then slid his body beneath the larger wolf's chest.

"Alright, Miles, let's get you out of here," Humphrey stated dryly as he began to lift the alpha's weight, "we need to get you cleaned up."

Miles gagged once more, but no vomit came as he was helped to his paws. Humphrey shifted his stance so the inebriated alpha could lean on him, then together the pair began to stumble out of the den.

The entire walk to the lake was done in near silence, as Miles was in no mood for the exchange of words, but Humphrey did not mind and together they arrived just in time for the drunken wolf to collapse to his stomach where he again began to sob, distantly.

Humphrey panted as his eyes fell upon the dishonored alpha then turned his eyes down to the shimmering water at his paws.

"Look, Miles," Humphrey called as he once more turned his attention to the wolf in his company, "look at the water and tell me what you see."

Miles sniffled, but hesitated, almost as though afraid of what he would see. However, after a deep, collective breath, he dared to move his eyes to the water, and when they fell upon his reflection and saw just how low he had fallen, they quickly averted themselves in shame.

"I'm a disgrace," he said morosely.

"Yes, you are," Humphrey replied, "but we can change that together. All you have to do is try."

Miles sniffed once then nodded.

"Alright," he said shakily, "I will."

Humphrey placed a paw on the alpha's back then nodded, proudly.

"Wait here," Humphrey insisted, then turned and began to head back to Miles' den.

Miles clumsily turned and called after him.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm gonna help you take the first step," Humphrey replied in a glance over his shoulder.

Miles could only assume what it was that he meant by what he had said and a sinking sensation began to weigh down upon his stomach, but he knew it to be for the best, so he remained where he lied where he would hopefully sober up a little before Humphrey returned.

With a sigh, he turned his eyes to the water once more and gazed longingly at his dancing reflection, almost as though hoping to see beyond what he had allowed himself to become, so that he could remember who he once was; but he knew that that man was gone. All that was left was a broken, hollow shell in desperate need of salvation from his demons.

But he had been down this road before, and he always wound up worse than when he began. This time, though, he knew it would be different, because now not only his future depended on his sobriety- at least that was what he told himself.

Humphrey returned a few minutes later, after he had gone over every inch of Miles' den, with all the fermented berries he could find and dropped all three bundles at his paws.

Miles acknowledged Humphrey's return, then lowered his eyes in anticipation for a lecture about how over ninety berries was too much for one individual wolf to consume, but much to his surprise, Humphrey said nothing and merely slid one of the bundles over to him with his paw, then took a step back.

Miles turned his eyes to the berries, then up to Humphrey in confusion.

"You are going to pick these berries off of each of these bundles one by one and dispose of them in any means you see fit," Humphrey instructed, "and hopefully by the time you have finished you'll be sober enough to come visit Kate, because she really wants to see you."

"So how come she didn't come with you?" Miles asked.

"Because she broke her leg during the hunt this morning," Humphrey replied, "she's in no condition to be mobile."

"Oh," Miles said in surprise, "is she okay?"

Humphrey nodded.

"Yeah," he replied with a shrug, "that's actually how we found out that she was pregnant." He then chuckled. "Honestly, I don't know how we didn't notice it sooner."

Miles forced a weak smile then lowered his eyes as it faded from his face.

"She's gonna need somebody to take care of her," he muttered.

Humphrey lowered his eyes.

"I know," he replied in distain, "and I should be the one to tend to her every need, but I can't." He inhaled sharply, then exhaled as a flicker of anger rose inside of him. "Everybody else is gonna have to do my job for me."

Miles lifted his eyes to Humphrey.

"No, they won't," he replied as he staggered unsteadily to his paws.

"Miles, what are you-"

Miles cut him off by raising a paw.

"I'm gonna help you raise those babies in the best way I can," he interrupted firmly, "by training you."

Humphrey sighed, because he figured that the alcohol was speaking for Miles and that he did not actually mean what he was saying.

"Look, Miles, I appreciate the offer, but let's be realistic here," Humphrey began, "what about your... problem?"

Miles shook his head and scowled.

"Forget about that," he answered, "we've got bigger problems now."

Humphrey still wasn't sold.

"Well how do you expect to train me when you can barely stand?" he observed brashly, "in order for you to be able to teach me anything, you'd have to quit-"

Humphrey's voice was cut off inside of his throat when Miles took the bundle of berries at his paws between his teeth and pitched them into the lake. There was a brief moment of silence as the berries sailed through the air, which was broken as they splashed down into the water.

"Look, Humphrey," Miles asserted as he clumsily faced the omega once more, "you wanna know why I haven't quit? Do you really wanna know?"

Humphrey opened up his mouth to offer a response, but Miles cut him off.

"The only reason why I haven't been able to quit is because I haven't had a reason to," he said sternly, "but now I do, and I swear to you on my life that by the time those pups are born, you'll be able to meet every one of your mate's needs and then some."

"Miles, look at yourself," Humphrey reasoned, "your body practically needs these damned things to function now. You can't just quit cold turkey; you'll need months of rehab to get over this."

Miles grinned with only one corner of his mouth.

"Watch me," he challenged, "they say it takes three weeks to make a habit, so I'll break it in two. Meanwhile, we'll cover the basics, and once I've beaten this addiction, I'll teach you how to protect and provide for your family."

Miles could see that Humphrey still had his doubts, so he continued before the omega had a chance to argue with him.

"I know that the road ahead will be rough," he admitted, "but we'll get through this together." He then stepped forward and placed a paw on Humphrey's shoulder and locked eyes with him. "I'm counting on you to get me through this as much as you are counting on me to change," he confessed, "I'm not strong enough to do this alone."

Humphrey sighed and lowered his eyes.

"You do realize how crazy this sounds, right?" he asked dryly.

Miles nodded.

"It's only as crazy as we make it," he replied then outstretched his paw, "so what'd'ya say?"

Humphrey stared at the alpha's trembling paw with uncertainty, because he feared still that he was only going to waste his time; but he knew that, if this worked, he would have made the first step in the long journey ahead to becoming the man that he knew he had to be. So, Humphrey smiled and placed the pad of his paw on Miles', then looked him in the eyes.

"You've got a deal."

**A&amp;Ω**

Across the territory, in that horrid piece of forest, where dark wolves gathered to train and prepare for their dark deed, a middle-aged, grey wolf whom they all knew well skulked into their midst. His significance was no greater than that of the operation's leader in terms of status, but the value of his intel knew no equal, as his information came directly from the High Alpha himself, and today, he would deliver to him earth-shattering news.

The wolves of ill intent sat apart from each other in their moment of leisure, as they knew the dangers of friendship in a situation such as theirs, but their eyes all came together upon one focal point as their mole stalked before them.

The grey leader was alerted to his arrival by the sound of a throat being cleared, and he turned to the informant with an expectant grin.

"Ah, Hutchinson," he greeted with anxious eyes, "I trust you have some good news for us."

Hutchinson came to rest near the foot of the structure upon which the leader sat and moved his eyes to him.

"Sir, the daughter of the impure is injured and with child," quoth he softly, "unfortunately for us, this incident has led the leadership to postpone their departure from power until Kate is deemed fit to lead the pack, but this confusion will blur their scope to the point where we could still make our move."

The grey leader nodded intently as he listened and pondered the information which he had been provided, then, after a moment of thick silence, his jaw tweaked and he inhaled sharply.

"Duly noted, Hutchinson," he began, then ran his eyes out over his followers, "but we must exercise patience. While the situation at hand is ideal for our success, I fear our current position is not."

He hopped down from his position of power upon the abandoned headquarters of the prison and approached the wolf diplomatically.

"We are still too few in number to mount our assault at this time," he noted and sat down before his agent of espionage, "and we still need time to train our newest recruit."

He then turned away and took a few paces toward the headquarters once more and paused.

"Keep an eye on the situation and report back with anything you find," he instructed without acknowledgment to the wolf who stood at his back.

The wolf nodded then turned and padded calmly away, and as he heard his informant grow distant, the grey leader smiled.

"The day is nearly upon us," he mused as he moved toward his den, "everything is positioning nicely."

A loud guffaw split the air as he disappeared into the cloak of the den and a barrage of howls lifted into the sky as the day slowly faded to night and brought them one day closer to that which they knew would bring peace to the park once more.


	4. Pressure

**Chapter 4: Pressure**

_**I apologize for any confusion that there may be about this story, because I never properly informed anybody who may not have already been aware that it was a sequel to another story. For any who may be confused about Miles or anything else that it going on, please read this story's predecessor, "In the Negative." Your questions will be answered there.**_

_**Next, I have several matters of business to attend to, but I will get to those at the end of this chapter, so please hold your questions and applause until after the show.**_

Kate lied alone in the den, tapping her tail agitatedly on the floor as she waited for Humphrey to return with Miles. She did not know exactly how long he had been gone, but she knew for sure that it was way longer than it took to fetch company, and she did not know what could possibly delay them for this long. She trusted her mate, so she knew that there was most likely some form of complication with Miles (after all, there always was) but in the back of her mind, she still considered the possibility that he had not gone to him at all.

She knew that he was hesitant about having Miles around the pups. The discussion they had about it prior to his departure was in fact their first major fight as a couple, so she did not discount the possibility that he said he would get Miles, but went elsewhere. Still, she hoped, for his sake, and for the sake of their pups, that he hadn't lied to her. Their relationship so far had been based heavily upon mutual trust and understanding, especially after everything they had been through together last fall; but Kate was now beginning to suspect that Humphrey had begun questioning her judgement. This bothered her deeply, because she knew that mistrust was one of the key factors in a relationship's destruction, and she did not want what they had built to ever collapse, but her optimism told her that she had nothing to worry about. After all, Humphrey was well within his rights to distrust Miles, just as she was within hers to assume that the delay was somehow caused by Miles.

She sighed sharply and drummed her claws impatiently as she continued to wait for her mate to come back, but the wait had proven to be too much for her to tolerate. So, with as much caution as she could, she rose to her paws and began to hobble out of the den. However, before she even got three paces beyond the mouth of their home, she heard their voices echo in from the distance.

Quickly, but carefully, she turned and limped back into the den to lie down, because she knew that she would never hear the end of it if Humphrey caught her trying to leave, but in her hurry to settle herself down, she stumbled and fell hard to the floor. She tried to protect her damaged leg, but inevitably crashed down upon it, and a sharp yelp escaped her mouth.

She cursed and clutched her broken leg tightly as pain raced up and down her body and she blinked hot tears from her eyes. The pain she felt was so agonizing that she felt as though she would be sick, and even worse was the ill feeling which overtook her when she realized that she had fallen directly onto her stomach, where her pups currently dwelled. If this fall had injured, or killed them she would never be able to forgive herself.

The next thing she knew, Humphrey raced into the den, with Miles at his back.

"Kate, what happened!" he demanded as he slid to a stop.

"I got bored," she replied through a grimace as she tried to reposition herself, "remember, I'm an alpha. I can't stand to sit around all day."

Humphrey exhaled sharply as he gingerly helped her find a position of comfort then stepped away.

"What were you thinking, Kate?" he asked her in an elevated tone, "you could've hurt yourself even worse."

Kate sighed deeply and lowered her eyes.

"I know that," she replied dryly.

"And what of the-"

Miles placed a paw on the worry-stricken omega's shoulder, which caused him to fall silent as he turned to him.

"Humphrey, everything is fine," he consoled as the omega turned to him, "I think she's learned her lesson."

Humphrey sighed as his nerves slowly settled, and from behind him, Kate stuck out her tongue.

"Do you need Amina to come in and take a look at you?" he asked his mate, now calm, as he turned his head to her once more.

Kate shook her head.

"No, I'm fine," she replied, "I just need to lie still for a while."

Humphrey scoffed.

"That's what I told you in the first place," he muttered bitterly under his breath.

"What was that?" Kate asked, as she could only hear unintelligible babble.

"Nothing," Humphrey replied quickly, "let's get back on track here. Miles?"

Miles stepped forward uncomfortably as Humphrey stepped back to give him some room, because he knew that he had no right to be in her presence, not after the way he had treated her lately. Who was he to just appear after so many weeks of pretending that she didn't exist? Guilt tugged violently at the back of his mind, but rather than dwell in the awkwardness which had claimed the atmosphere, he greeted her with a smile.

"Hey, sweetie, I heard you had yourself an accident," he teased, trying to take his mind off of the guilt, "were those little caribou just a little too tough for the big, bad alpha?"

Kate rolled her eyes and smiled meekly.

"If you must know, there was an unexpected shift in the herd when I moved in to perform my spin-out and I wound up catching a hoof with my leg," she defended playfully, then added with a laugh, "I'm only five for ten with these dang caribou. I really gotta turn my luck around."

This caused Miles and Humphrey to chuckle.

"Well, this'll be over soon and you'll be right back at it same as always," he assured, "though, hopefully with a better track record."

Kate laughed.

"Yup, I'm due for a break sooner or later," she agreed.

This caused Miles to smile.

"So, what else has been up with you lately?" he asked, "and whatever happened to that pretty necklace that Humphrey gave you?"

Kate turned her head and pointed to the back wall with her nose, where it hung from a root in the den.

"I only wear it on special occasions now," she replied, "because it is much too special to me to just wear around. If it got lost or broken, I would never be able to forgive myself."

Miles nodded.

"And what of you?" Kate asked him, though, based off of his appearance, she knew the answer, "how have you been holding up?"

Miles sighed and flattened his ears.

"I've been better," he admitted, because he knew that there was no sense in lying to her, "truth be known, I fear that I may not live to see my tenth birthday."

Kate, for a moment, remained silent, because this was the answer she had expected, but she was surprised to find that he was more sober than she was used to seeing. Lately, nearly every time he said anything, he could hardly speak coherently.

"What have I told you since the beginning?" she asked him sympathetically, which caused him to lower his eyes, "I've told you before that those things were bad for you and that you need to quit."

"I know," Miles replied shamefully, "I've been messed up for a really long time; I've done so many things I'm not proud of, including hurting those I care about, and for that I'm sorry." He flattened his ears as a deep sigh passed his lips. "But I'm gonna change all of that," he continued firmly, "and I swear that I'll never let you down again."

Kate smiled meekly to humor her friend, but in her mind, she still had severe doubt. However, rather than dwell in the depressing topic of her dearest friend's addiction, she turned her gaze over to her mate.

"Well, that's good to hear," she began as she turned to face her friend once more, "because there's something we would like to tell you."

Miles had expected this moment, because Humphrey had already informed him of the situation, but he knew how important this would be for Kate, so he pretended to be clueless.

"What's that?" he asked her inquisitively.

"Well... Humphrey and I," she began with a bright smile, "are gonna have pups!"

Miles smiled broadly.

"Kate, that's great," he said excitedly, "congratulations!"

Kate smiled and attempted to rise. Humphrey noticed and rushed immediately to her side then used his shoulder to help her to her paws, and once she was steady, he stepped away.

Kate acknowledged his assistance with a nod of appreciation, then stepped forward and embraced Miles in a hug.

"How far along are you?" Miles asked as he pulled slowly away.

"Amina says three weeks," Kate replied excitedly.

Miles chuckled.

"And to think I thought that you were just getting fat," he joked, which drew a soft laugh from Humphrey.

Kate scowled and flattened her ears.

"If I wasn't gimp, I'd punch you right in the nose," she warned playfully.

Miles chuckled as well.

"Then I guess that makes me a lucky guy," he replied, "so have you thought of any names yet?"

"Not yet," Kate replied.

"Yeah, we don't even know how many we'll have," Humphrey continued, "but Kate and I have decided on one thing."

Miles continued to pretend that he was unaware of the news.

"What's that?" he asked.

Kate and Humphrey looked at one another briefly then turned to him once more.

"We have decided that we would like for you to be their godfather," Kate said with a smile.

"Me?" Miles asked in a feigned sense of surprise.

Kate and Humphrey nodded.

"But... why me?" he asked her, "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm honored that you would ask, but I'm not exactly a model citizen."

Kate sighed.

"Well that's the thing," she began slowly, "Humphrey and I have decided that, in the best interest of the pups, you will only be allowed near them if you can kick your... habit."

Miles had heard this already from Humphrey, but it still hurt to hear it a second time, and especially from Kate, so when he lowered his eyes and sighed, the emotion conveyed was entirely authentic.

"I understand," he replied, "but you don't have to worry about one thing, Kate. It's time I fulfilled a promise I made to an old friend a long time ago. I'm getting off the things for good."

Kate smiled.

"Good," she replied with a single nod, "I'm glad to hear it."

Miles nodded and tried to bury the nagging sense of uncertainty which tugged at the back of his mind.

"I know it won't be easy, but I'll have you and your pups to motivate me," he assured, "there's no way I'm gonna let any of you down."

Kate smiled.

"I'm proud of you, Miles," she commended, "and if ever you feel like you need help, all you have to do is ask, and we'll be there for you."

"I will," Miles replied brightly.

"Good," Kate said conclusively.

For a moment, a silence flooded the den and awkwardness filled the atmosphere, but this moment ended when Miles cleared his throat.

"Hey, are you two hungry?" he asked them.

Kate and Humphrey turned to each other and as their eyes met, both of their stomachs growled loudly.

"Actually, yeah," Kate replied with a chuckle.

"We've been so busy with all of this baby and injury stuff that I guess we completely forgot to eat," Humphrey explained.

Miles nodded with a smile.

"Well then, allow me to treat you to some supper," he offered.

Both of them nodded.

"That would be great," Kate replied.

"Anything in particular?" Miles asked.

"I'm not picky," Humphrey assured, "I'll eat whatever you bring, as long as it has meat on it."

"And you already know what I like," Kate stated with a smile.

"Caribou ham with extra blood," Miles replied quickly.

"You got it," Kate laughed.

"Alright," Miles began with a curt nod, "I'll be back in a few."

"Thanks, Miles," Kate thanked as he turned and walked out of the den.

Once they were alone, a brief silence ensued, then Kate turned slowly to face Humphrey.

"He already knew about the pups, didn't he?" she inquired dryly.

Humphrey sighed.

"What gave it away?" he asked her flatly.

"Let's just say he's no actor," Kate replied.

Humphrey lowered his eyes to his paws.

"I'm sorry, Kate," he apologized as he flattened his ears, "but it was the only way that I could get him to come."

Kate nodded slowly and kept her eyes fixed on the mouth of their den.

"So do you think he's serious about this?" she asked him quizzically.

"About the berries?" Humphrey inquired as he lifted his eyes to her.

Kate nodded.

Humphrey shrugged and turned to face the mouth of the den once more.

"Honestly, I'm not sure," Humphrey admitted, "I guess only time will tell."

A&amp;Ω

"I don't like it," Winston mused through a sigh as he took a seat beside his Beta, "Gauge is a dangerous wolf, and thanks to his uncle, he roams free through the park."

Hutch turned to him.

"Victor is keeping a watchful eye on him," he assured, "I can assure you that Gauge's actions are under close moderation."

Winston flattened his ears.

"I don't trust Victor," he said dryly, "he's always had an unsettling ambition for power."

"Victor is a noble man," Hutch argued respectfully, "and he's the best damn Chief of Justice we've had in this pack for a long time."

Winston grunted and shifted on his haunches as his ears erected once more.

"But do you recall the odd circumstances which placed him in that position?" Winston asked, "to this day, I still find it curious how a wolf, maybe a few months younger than myself at the time can suddenly turn up dead in a fashion which leaves the healers completely baffled."

Hutch nodded slowly as he listened.

"You know we had every means to suspect that Victor somehow played a roll in his death," Winston continued.

"But we had no way to prove it," Hutch reasoned.

"I know that, so there's no way that we'll ever know for sure," Winston stated dryly, "we could have been wrong to even suspect him in the first place," he continued as his ears folded onto the top of his head, "but even when we went to school together, he had his eyes set on a position of power, and I have a hard time doubting that he would kill to get it."

As Winston finished, the pair stared out at the park inquisitively, and a silence ensued which was finally whisked away by the troubled alpha's partner.

"Remember, the Victor Navarro you refused as your Beta all those years ago has changed," Hutch reminded, "He's matured in his years as this pack's judiciary leader, not to mention his beautiful wife, God rest her soul, and precious daughter."

"He still abused his power when he granted Gauge partial amnesty for his attempted murder on my son-in-law," Winston stated, "that action should have been overruled by majority vote in the remaining Justices, but for some inexplicable reason they were all on his side."

Hutch sighed.

"Look, I know it all seems a little screwy, but at the end of the day, he's just looking out for his family," he reasoned, "would you not have done the same for your daughters?"

Winston lowered his eyes.

"Yes," he replied, then scowled, "still, I believe that they should have at least given Gauge jail time rather than just putting him on extended probation. We have more pertinent matters at hand that require our focus," he continued, "we don't have time to babysit a psychopath."

"Then why don't you place him under psychiatric supervision and send him in for analysis a few times a week?" Hutch suggested, "you are the Alpha after all. You have that right."

Winston lowered his head as he thought.

"I just fear that it would be a waste of time," he replied, "Gauge isn't exactly the type to do as he is told."

Hutch nodded and lowered his eyes.

"That is true," he agreed.

"Plus, under the laws of this pack, he's no longer a minor," Winston continued, "so I can't force him to do anything against his will without violating his rights as a citizen of this pack. I could call for a lawful order from the judge, but something tells me Victor would decline the request. My paws are tied. The only thing we can do is keep an eye on him and hope like hell he doesn't try to hurt anyone else."

Hutch nodded slowly.

"But if he does, you'll be able to put him away for good this time," he reasoned.

"I don't want it to come to that," Winston stated firmly, "last time, he nearly killed my son-in-law. I don't even want to think about what he is truly capable of."

A&amp;Ω

Even on their walk home, Garth could tell that Lilly was experiencing more than pride and joy for her sister, and as time wore on following their arrival back at their den, the more apparent it became that something was bothering her. Garth wanted to pick her mind so that he could potentially help her, but with the way she clicked her teeth and aimlessly attempted to organize the den, even after she had dug out all the old bones, swept the leaves out with her tail, and there was nothing more to organize, he knew that she was in the process of biting back rage. He knew better than to push her when she was like this, because she bore more of her mother than many realized, but he also knew that he could not allow this to continue to build unless he wanted it to explode violently. So, silently, he had begun to help her straighten up the den, but he made sure to begin on the opposite side of their home to give her a moment of space. However, as time wore on, he migrated steadily closer until the two of them stood side by side near the back wall of their den, where Lilly had begun to cut away roots which protruded through into their living space. Garth found content with simply watching her cut the roots for the time-being, but the reason for her sudden desire to remove them eluded him, because they wouldn't hurt anybody or anything.

Lilly continued to work without once taking heed to her mate, and without once expressing any emotion whatsoever, but when she found one root in particular which proved more difficult to remove than the rest her patience began to quickly wear thin; and once her patience had finally run out, she unleashed her frustration upon it. She yanked at the root violently with her paws, and when that didn't work, she growled and took it between her teeth and attempted to chew through it. However, her jaws just weren't strong enough to cut through the root, so eventually her anger burnt itself out, and she released it then sat down, breathing heavily.

Garth still stood silently aside and watched her for a moment.

"Well, go ahead," Lilly snapped in a strained voice as she lowered her chin to her chest, "you've been wanting to know what was wrong since we got back, so go ahead and ask me."

Garth still said nothing, because he was never good with words, and now he had an exceptionally difficult time wrestling them into place. Lilly interpreted his silence as apathy and countered it with her own.

"Fine," she seethed as she rose to her paws and sauntered a short distance away, "if you won't ask, then I won't tell." She then paused and turned to him. "I won't tell you about the months we wasted trying and waiting for pups that never came. I won't tell you how frustrating it is to fail at the one thing I thought I would be good at; and I certainly won't tell you about how infuriating it is to watch everybody else live my f***ing dreams!"

She stood, panting heavily for a moment, then collapsed to her haunches as tears began to sting her eyes.

Quickly, Garth moved to her side and pulled her in close.

"I'm so sorry, Garth," she cried, "I don't know what came over me just now."

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Garth crooned as he stroked the back of her neck.

It was at this point that Lilly lost control of her emotions and her tears began to flow like two rivers down her cheeks.

"What are we doing wrong?" she cried as she buried her face into his chest, "why is it that no matter what we try, it still doesn't work?"

Garth wrapped her tighter in his arms and placed his lips on the crown of her head.

"I don't know, Lilly," he replied, "but I think I might have an idea."

Lilly scoffed and pulled away from him.

"And what might that be?" she asked him skeptically.

"Look at us," he began, "We're turning into a disaster. We fight way too much. We constantly bump elbows and get under each other's fur." He lowered his eyes as Lilly lifted her head to him. "I sometimes feel like we're starting to lose our connection."

Lilly's eyes widened.

"Garth, don't say that," she said in disbelief, "we're just going through a rough patch."

"Then it's certainly been one hell of a large patch," he replied.

"Well, what are we gonna do about it, Garth?" Lilly demanded as she rose to her paws, "you tell me what we should do and we'll work on it together."

"I don't know what we're gonna do about it," Garth replied bitterly.

Lilly scoffed.

"See, that's the problem," she accused, "you are always so quick to point out a problem, but you never try to find any solutions."

"Well, I can't ever think of a way how," Garth retorted, "and you never seem willing to offer up any suggestions, so I don't know where you're coming from with this blame game of yours."

"Don't you dare," Lilly growled, "you know damn well I would try to help if I knew that you would listen, but you always shoot down my ideas before I can even finish my thought."

Garth growled, on the verge of losing his temper entirely, but he suppressed his anger and released a sigh.

"See, Lilly?" he said morosely, "this is exactly what I'm talking about. We used to be able to just talk to one another. Now we can barely say anything without yelling anymore."

Lilly sighed as her own anger slowly faltered.

"I'm sorry, Garth," she apologized, "I shouldn't have gotten so upset."

"No, Lilly, you had every reason to be upset," Garth replied, "I shouldn't have said what I said."

Lilly sighed again and lowered her head and a long silence filled the atmosphere.

The two of them felt the heaviness which the silence brought into the den pressing down upon their shoulders, and soon, eye contact was lost as they both pretended to take interest in their paws.

"So what happens now?" Garth asked finally as he lifted his head.

Lilly's ears perked as the question registered in her mind and she lifted her attention to her mate once more.

"I don't know," she replied, then sighed and flattened her ears, "sometimes I wish we could just get

away from it all."

Garth nodded slowly, because he agreed with her completely. The atmosphere, the den, it all just put so much weight on their shoulders, and stress on their relationship. He could tell by how cold things had gotten between them that they simply weren't enjoying each other's company anymore. They needed a change. They needed an escape.

"You know what, Lilly?" Garth began, catching Lilly's attention once more, "Lets just abandon this den all together and start over out in the grass."

Lilly cocked her head to the side.

"In the grass?" she asked him, slightly confused.

Garth nodded.

"Think about it, Lilly," he began, "when was the last time you and I weren't simply going through the motions? We need a fresh start, away from the binding walls of a den, and where is there a better place to start a new, simpler life than out in the grass?"

Lilly lowered her eyes, hesitant.

"But Garth, how would we ever be able to raise a family out in the grass?" she asked him, "What about the winter?"

Garth smiled.

"Leave that one to me," he assured, but by simply gauging his mate's face, he could tell she was still uncertain, "aw, come on, Lilly," he began again, "what have we got to lose?"

Lilly sighed and flattened her ears.

"I guess it couldn't hurt to try it," she said slowly as she lifted her eyes to him.

"There ya go," Garth replied brightly.

Lilly allowed a chuckle to tickle her throat, but then her face grew firm.

"But if I don't like it, we're moving straight back in," she informed.

Garth laughed.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," he said with a smile as he stepped in close to her once more.

Lilly nodded once and allowed her eyes to fall down to the left.

"So, when should we leave?" she asked him slowly.

She couldn't understand why she was so hesitant to leave this den when only moments ago she spoke passionately about her longing to escape. She guessed that maybe she was just afraid of change. Or maybe she feared the judgement of the other wolves in the park. What would her parents say?

Garth spoke before she had time to think on the subject any longer.

"Whenever you're ready," he replied, "there's really nothing here that I want to take with me besides you."

Lilly nodded slowly.

"Well, alright then," she digressed as she rose to her paws.

Garth smiled as he trotted up to her.

"Now don't be so glum," he said with a smile as he paused beside her, "this may be the best decision we ever make."

Lilly allowed a faint smile to form on her lips as Garth padded out of the den, but once he was gone, she lowered her head with a sigh.

"Or one of the worst," she muttered under her breath then rose to her feet.

Garth, impatient to get on with his plan, poked his head around the corner.

"You comin'?" he asked her.

Lilly nodded as she turned around then began to walk out of the den.

Garth met her at its entrance with a smile and followed her away, but as she walked, she cast one more long look at her home, because she knew that she may never again set foot inside.

She would miss the memories they shared together in that den, be they good, bad, pleasurable or painful, but perhaps this was for the best. After all, she did not want to add a divorce to her list of memories, so she would swallow this pill as she had all others before and give it a shot, because who knew; it may just be the gateway to the good life.

**Well, that will conclude this chapter for now.**

_**Now, onto business. **_

_**1: This may not have been the update that some of you were looking for on account that I began that "Lemonade" story, but I've had this chapter sitting on the shelf for a month now and it needed to be posted. I had intended to complete the first two chapters for "Lemonade" before I posted this, but I have hit a wall with my second selection. Why don't I just post the first chapter? Because then the request count will get mixed up, but I promise you guys it is in the works and should hopefully be out soon.**_

_**2: I am inclined to solicit to y'all an author by the name of**_ _**Whiskey-Foxtrot929. This guy's got some awesome ideas that are always deserving of praise. If you decide to check him out, leave him a review and tell him that Mojo sent you.**_

_**3: And this will be all I have to say. It has also come to my attention that a member of this archive has been engaged, and I would personally like to commend him for his success in his search for love. Congratulations to you, Mr. and Mrs. GodOfAllWolves. I wish you the best of luck and fortune. May your future together be an infinite fountain of joy and love unbound.**_

_**If you so choose, swing by his profile and give him a nice commendation of your own, and tell him Mojo sent you.**_

_**Anyway, that's all I've got for today. Thank you for your time, and as always, have a great day.**_

_**MTOW out.**_


	5. Why

Chapter 5: Why

**_Ladies and gentlemen, I have returned, and with me I bring 3 new updates. However, this is just Phase 1 of my return, where I give to you updates of my more serious stories. Phase 2, which will be set to take off later this month, will be the lemon phase, including updates for the following stories: Lemonade, Heat in Jasper, and The First Cycle. If I decide to initiate Phase 3, early in 2016, you will see some brand new story material for your viewing pleasures. However, I am afraid that I must also deliver some bad news. This time off has given me an opportunity to sit down and do a lot of thinking, and I have decided to give this site one more year and one more year only. In this time, I will try my best to finish as many stories and requests as I can, but once this time has passed, whatever stories I haven't completed will either be left unfinished, or I will turn the rights to them over to another author who may wish to complete it. I know that this is not what many of you want to hear, but by that time I will have invested five years into this site, which is a long time, and quite honestly, I'm getting tired. When I began, I could sit down every day and write a chapter for a story, and I actually enjoyed doing it. Now, it seems, writing is becoming more and more of a chore, and it's begun to lose its luster in my eyes. I guess I'm getting old, because even the movies I enjoyed thoroughly enough to write fanfictions for in the first place are beginning to lose their appeal to me. Anyway, it's unfortunate, but it is what it is. And I'm sure that some of you may have already seen this coming with the ever-widening gap between my updates and my recent hiatus. I don't want any tears when this day finally comes. I don't want anybody to beg me to stay or put out a big requiem when I'm gone. All I ask is that you guys please just remember me and all the fun times we've shared together on this site. I'm not saying to devote your lives to keeping my memory alive. Just don't forget to remember me when you're on here clicking through some old favorites, just as I won't forget you guys when I'm off progressing in whatever endeavors I choose to take on in my life. You were, after all, the ones who gave me the audience, the confidence, and the drive to improve as a writer, and because of you, I believe that if I ever elect to write an original novel of my own, I will have you to personally thank for giving me my start. Now, just because I'm leaving, doesn't mean my stories are leaving with me. My account will remain active on the site as long as time permits, but as of one year from this date: December 15th, 2015, I will put in my letter of resignation, and I will no longer post any chapters or write any new stories. I know that some of you may be disappointed to see me go. Others may be thrilled, but however you feel about my departure, just know that, while time has driven me away from here, time may one day bring a piece of me back. Such is the beauty of time's ambiguity. _**

**_Now, without further adieu, I give to you chapter 5 of "Meanwhile."_**

5 Months Ago

He lied alone in his den and etched doodles in the dirt with his claw, but he was unaware of this action, as his thoughts weighed heavily elsewhere, to a time when simplicity melted into complexity and life as everyone knew it changed forever. He did not know what to think on the day that his leader abolished the Alpha Law; truth be known he still didn't know what to think, but in the pit of his stomach, he felt betrayal clash violently with anger. He and Winston were always close friends, even when differences of opinion surfaced, but he sometimes doubted his friend's ability to make good decisions; and this was, in his mind one of the worst decisions that he and Eve could have possibly made. When Winston's grandfather elected to disallow alphas from marrying omegas all those years ago, he did so for good reason. An alpha's genes were pure, with generations of courage, strength and cunning. An alpha was the backbone of the pack, the vital structure which held it all together, but omegas were none of those things. Omegas were lazy, childish, and irresponsible. If these polar traits were to mingle, heaven only knew what the future might hold for the pack which he so dearly loved. Weak alphas made them a target for those who may seek to destroy them, and if alphas were giving birth to omega pups, or even alpha pups with omega traits, soon enough, the pack may find itself in a position of collapse.

He sighed and lowered his eyes to the dirt, and once he realized that he had been doodling, he huffed once and lazily erased his drawings with his paw.

What was he supposed to do? He loved Winston like a brother, but the direction in which he foresaw the leader taking them could only lead to annihilation. How could he claim to love his pack if he allowed it to be molested by politics?

The sound of a throat being cleared drew his eyes to the front of the den, and when they fell upon Victor, a small smile came to life upon his lips.

"Ah, good evening, Victor," he greeted as he slowly rose to his paws, "what brings you here?"

Victor entered his den and paused before him.

"Business, old friend," Victor replied as he took a seat.

"At so late an hour?" Hutch inquired as he, too, eased back onto his haunches.

"Unfortunately this matter could not wait for a more convenient frame of time," Victor said through a sigh, "it is of the utmost importance."

Hutch nodded slowly.

"Okay, so what is it?" he asked quizzically, "is something wrong?"

"Something is wrong," Victor replied, "very wrong, and it is up to us to stop it."

Hutch's eyebrows furrowed.

"Has the job gotten to you already?" he joked, "you're not making much sense."

"This is serious, Hutchinson," Victor urged, "now I need you to listen to me and I need you to listen very carefully."

Hutch was growing more and more confused by the minute, but he nodded intently.

"Okay."

"I trust that this information will remain between you and me," Victor began, "because if word gets out to the wrong wolves, we'll be in a lot of trouble."

"Victor, what did you do?" Hutch asked concerned.

"Nothing yet, but I need you to swear to me that no matter what I say, it won't leave this den."

Hutch hesitated for a moment, then nodded slowly.

"Okay, Victor. You have my word."

"Good," Victor replied, "now listen carefully."

Hutch nodded as Victor cast a glance over his shoulder then turned back to him once more.

"You know that as a judiciary official my first duty is to serve the rights and interests of the citizens of this pack," Victor began, "and my second is to base my judgement off of the laws written out by our leaders, but how can I possibly enforce and abide by a law which is detrimental to the citizens of the pack?"

Hutch cocked his head.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm talking about the desegregation of alphas and omegas, Hutchinson," Victor answered.

Hutch turned his eyes down to his paws as he thought.

"I've always considered myself a tolerant man, Hutchinson," Victor explained, "but this allowance of interbreeding between the social classes can only end badly for us."

He paused for a moment to gauge his friend's reaction then continued.

"Have a bit of foresight, and what do you see?" Victor asked rhetorically, "alphas and omegas were separated for a reason; and you recall that not too long ago, if alpha parents gave birth to omega pups, they were encouraged to drown them. This was sick, but necessary, and here's why. Since this practice was done away with, omegas have become increasingly more common and the mentality that sloth is an acceptable style of life is spreading like a virus throughout the pack. The genes and traits which define the alphas for what we are are steadily becoming corrupted by this exact same mentality. Think back and you'll see that this was happening even back before Winston desegregated our classes. Now Kate and Humphrey are married and next in line for leadership. It's only a matter of time before they have pups, and when they do, what will the next change be? Do you see the imminent pattern here? Alphas have already been stripped of their rights several times in order to accommodate to the increasing omega population. With an omega co-leading this pack, we alphas might as well kiss the liberties we enjoy with our positions goodbye."

Hutch opened up his mouth to offer a response, but Victor continued before he could speak.

"And that's not all, Hutchinson," he continued, "that's really only the beginning. If the omega influence is allowed to continue to grow in this pack, pretty soon we won't have any alphas left at all. Who wants to be an alpha and put in the work when there's somebody else there who'll simply hand you your share of the pie for free, no questions asked, no strings attached? The alpha is steadily dying off with each generation. And what happens when there are no alphas left? The pack falls apart."

Hutch remained silent for a moment to be certain that his friend had finished his rant, then spoke.

"I can agree with most of what you're saying," he began slowly, "truth be known, I'm not too happy about the decision myself, but I don't know what you or anybody else intends to do about it. This was legal legislation passed by the High Alphas, so there's nothing that can be done."

Victor cleared his throat.

"That's actually what I've come here to talk to you about," he said through a long breath.

Hutch furrowed his brows and cocked his head.

"What is?"

"The High Alphas of this pack have done nothing but hurt it since the day they assumed their positions of power," Victor explained, "sure they averted a war with the East. Honestly that's about the only notable bit of good they've done, but even that act put us down the path to further decay. Alphas and omegas shouldn't have been allowed to marry, and the famine faced by the East pre-unification will now find its way here. We're growing too large. The food supply can't support all of us for much longer. What's bad now will only become worse if something isn't done to change this, and that is exactly what I intend to do. Of course, I can't do this without your help."

Hutch was taken aback by what his old friend had said and he had to take a moment to process everything he had just been told.

"You mean getting rid of Winston," he replied dryly, "and the omegas."

Victor nodded.

"I have drawn out plans for revolution," he began, "if it all goes according to plan, there won't be very many who get hurt, but if we are met with resistance, we have to do what is necessary to protect the sanctity of this pack."

Hutch furrowed his brows.

"You do understand the risk you're taking in telling me all of this, right?" he asked, "everything you've just said is enough to have you put away for the rest or your life."

Victor nodded.

"Yes, but I don't think I've got anything to worry about," he replied, "because I think that part of you believes I'm right."

"But what you speak of is mutiny," Hutch reminded, "how could you expect me to take part in something so evil against my own pack, my own flesh and blood?"

"Because of the good we will do for it once those impure of blood and of heart are removed," Victor reasoned, "the wolves of this pack are supposed to have a voice as well, and lately the only voices that have been heard are those of the minority. It's about time that we the people got our liberties back."

Hutch lowered his eyes.

"But why does it have to be me?" he asked, "Winston and Evelyn are two of my best friends. How could you possibly expect me to betray them?"

"Since you're close to them, they trust you more than anybody else in this pack," Victor replied, "without you and the invaluable information you can provide, a lot more wolves could wind up getting hurt."

Hutch scoffed.

"But if this is supposed to be for the good of the pack, then why would there be a need for people to get hurt?"

Victor placed a paw on Hutch's shoulder.

"Hutch, listen, I know you're a brilliant wolf. Only wolves of your caliber can be Betas, but the instincts that warn of an insidious plot on my behalf are not necessary." He paused. "You know that I am a man of justice, and a voice for the people, but sometimes in order for change to occur, there has to be some small form of sacrifice. Even angels must sometimes get a little bit of blood on their wings."

Hutch was still hesitant about this, because the last thing that he wanted was to see anybody get hurt, but if what they speculated about the future became reality, then there would be a lot more blood on their paws- because they had their opportunity to change things for the better and they didn't.

Victor could tell that his friend was having a difficult time coming to a decision, so he stepped forward and gently placed a paw on his shoulder.

"I'll give you some time to think about it," he stated calmly, "when you've made up your mind. You know where I'll be."

Hutch only nodded then watched as Victor turned and slowly made his way out of the den, and once he was alone, he sighed. What was he going to do?

A&amp;Ω

At first, when Hutch agreed to become involved with this sinister operation, he came in under the guise that Victor's intentions were indeed for the good of the pack, and everything that he did, he did because he believed deep down in his heart, that the success of this revolution would breathe life and hope into this park- something which had been absent for far too long.

However, Victor was a clever serpent with a forked tongue which could spin the most sinister yarns of deception, and a cruel mind which could plant the seeds of the darkest ideas into the most pure of hearts. In the five months since his recruitment, Victor had slowly brainwashed him, and now, Hutch was no different than any of the others. Though he still made himself believe that somehow he was.

All of his pent up anger, frustration, and hatred had been slowly and formulaically exploited, and now the manipulation had finally brought to fruition the man that Victor envisioned when he initially recruited him for this mission. However, for the first time in his life, he feared the monster he had created.

In so many ways, he and his informant were exactly the same now, but in so many more, Hutch was his better; and if he ever figured this out, it wouldn't be long until his promised Beta would challenge him for his position. If and when this day came, he knew that he would not stand a chance, and he would see his final day. And so raised the question: "What should be done about Jack Hutchinson?"

The answer was simple. After all, the best solution to a problem is usually the easiest one, but the circumstances were far too complex to simply do away with him.

Hutch was still an invaluable asset to his plan. Getting rid of him now would be next to suicidal, but keeping him around would ultimately lead him down the same road. So there was only one thing to do.

He had to keep a close eye on Hutch and monitor his every move. If ever he felt threatened by his informant, he would have to do what was necessary in order to preserve his position and his life, but if everything went smoothly and Hutch aided them in the successful coup of the Central Pack, he would be sure that Hutch was taken care of in a dignified manner which would be fit for a hero.

In the meantime, it was business as usual. Tonight, they would run a drill, even though the actual event was still at least two weeks away, and they would run this drill every night up until such time as designated to begin their assault on the pack. Victor's plans had been made, the board had been set, and his strategy would surely lead him to victory. All that was left to do was to assure the perfect execution of these raid drills, and he could set his plan, which had been months in the making, underway.

A&amp;Ω

A silence was shared between them as they each sat across from one another and ate their various preference of caribou meat. To Humphrey's right, Kate had began to work on the meat closest to the bone, while he took a slower approach to his eating. Miles, on the other hand, had barely touched his meal.

Humphrey considered asking him what was wrong, but thought better of it, as he had a decent idea as to why he had been so quiet. Still, the silence brought a thickness into the atmosphere the likes of which seemed to choke him, so finally he broke the tension with a quick clearing of his throat.

"So, Kate," Humphrey began, which caused both Kate and Miles to lift their attention to him, "did you even chew that meat?"

This caused Miles to chuckle, but Kate's face turned red beneath her fur.

"Shut up, Humphrey," she growled, "remember I'm eating for more than myself now, you know."

Humphrey smiled and chuckled once.

"I know that," he replied with a smile, "just thought I'd give you my daily dose of chaos."

Kate took a moment to finish chewing another chunk of meat she had ripped off the bone, then swallowed it.

"Even when I'm injured, you can't spare me of your teasing, can you?" she asked him playfully.

This caused Humphrey to chuckle.

"Nope," he replied confidently, then turned his eyes over to Miles, who had locked himself away in a silent reserve once more.

Humphrey noticed that as time wore on, and as the drunken alpha grew more sober, his posture grew worse and worse. Now he sat with his forelegs spread slightly wider than his chest, and slouched so that he sat even lower than Humphrey. Kate noticed this as well, and even could detect the sickly nature of his face. She could tell that he was not well, and could only assume that it was a result of his recent lack of alcohol. The only really sad thing was, he had probably only been over for about an hour. She had no idea that his dependence on the berries was so high. She wrestled with the idea of picking his mind for a moment; then after said time had passed, she spoke.

"You feeling okay, Miles?" she asked him slowly.

Miles lifted his head to her.

"Not really," he answered bluntly, "truth be known, I feel like dog sh*t."

Kate, under a close eye from her mate, rose carefully to her paws.

"Well, is there anything that we could get for you?" she offered

Miles shook his head.

"No, I'll be okay," he replied, dryly, though he felt as though, at any moment, he would vomit, "besides, what I want is why I feel like this anyway."

Kate moved over and placed a paw on his.

"Miles, it's okay for you to still have berries for now," she said sympathetically, "we don't expect you to just quit, cold caribou. We consulted with Amina before we made our decision and she urged us to ease you off of the berries, because simply quitting right now could lead to potentially life-threatening withdrawals."

"Well then I'll ease off of them," he replied in a slightly venomous tone, which caused Kate to retreat slightly "but that would entail not eating them every second of the day, right?"

Both Kate and Humphrey met his rude remark with resentment, but they allowed it to pass, because they had expected irritability on the behalf of their addiction-diseased friend. However, his spell of bitterness invited tension into the den once more as Kate took a seat beside her mate, and as it has done before, continued to build until the awkwardness caused Humphrey to speak out of discomfort once more.

"So uh, Kate," he began which caused all eyes to turn to him once more, "how's your leg?"

"Better now," she replied flatly, "still hurts, but the fall didn't damage it worse."

"Well, that's good," Miles chimed in.

Both Kate and Humphrey nodded slowly and yet another silence was invited into the den. Kate's level of discomfort grew until she turned her head down and began to meticulously peel whatever little scraps of meat she could find off of the bone she ate off of earlier, and both of the males in the den took turns breaking and then mending averted eye-contact.

"So... I'm gonna be spending a lot of time with Miles," Humphrey admitted, which caused Kate to quickly lifted her head.

"Do what?" she asked him, unsure if she had heard right.

"Uh-hem... Humphrey has uh, volunteered to devote his time to helping me get sober for you and your pups," Miles replied in Humphrey's defense.

"Oh, that's good," Kate said with a smile, though inside she felt anger stir, "it'll be nice to have some moral support, but how come I wasn't invited?"

Both of the males turned to each other and cast awkward glances as they searched for an answer. After all, they couldn't tell Kate the truth. Humphrey made him swear to keep it a secret, because he wanted to surprise his mate.

"Well, in your condition, I don't want you out and about too much ya know?" Humphrey reasoned, "If we have another incident like today, it could end with an entirely different outcome, and I don't want to risk your safety."

In the back of her mind, Kate could sense that her mate and her closest friend weren't being entirely truthful with her, but she brushed this thought aside for the time being simply because she was currently hosting a guest. However, after Miles left, she and Humphrey would definitely have themselves a little discussion, the manner of which would depend entirely upon his willingness to be honest with her.

For the time being, though, she simply nodded.

"Alright," she conceded, "but don't think that this means you can get out of visiting me, Miles."

Miles smiled despite his churning stomach.

"Of course," he replied, then looked down at the piece of meat that he had brought for himself to eat. The thought of eating, however, made him sick, so he lifted his eyes to Kate and Humphrey. "Well, I guess I should probably get going and let you two get settled in," he began as he rose to his paws, "either of you still hungry?"

"Nah, I'm good," Humphrey replied as he rose to his paws.

"Aw, Miles, you don't have to leave yet," Kate said as she, too, rose to her paws, "we're glad you're here."

"I know," Miles replied as he lowered his eyes to his paws, "but I don't feel so good, and I could really use a nap."

Kate flattened her ears and frowned, but she still stepped forward and embraced him.

"Alright, Miles," she replied, "it was good seeing you."

"Likewise," he said as he pulled away, "you want me to take that meat to the scrap pile?"

"Nah, just leave it here," Kate answered, "I'll eat it later."

Miles nodded.

"Alright, well thanks for having me over," he thanked, "and Humphrey, I guess I will see you bright and early tomorrow morning."

Humphrey nodded, though he cast anxious, sideways glances at his mate.

"Count on it," he replied with a nod.

Miles nodded in return then turned and took his leave. Kate and Humphrey smiled as he exited their home, but after Kate was certain that he was out of earshot, her smile fell to a frown and, despite her gimp leg, she took Humphrey's ear between her teeth then began to drag him to the back of their den.

Humphrey yelped and protested as she dragged him along then turned to her with watery eyes as she released him and stood before him.

"What the hell was that for!" Humphrey demanded indignantly as he nursed his ear.

"I am getting sick of you making plans behind my back," Kate said firmly, "I mean, I love it that you're willing to help my friend with his problem, but don't you think that I need you here, too?"

"Kate, I-" Humphrey began, but she cut him off.

"I don't want to hear it," she interrupted, tersely, "if you want these pups to call you their father you have to be willing to put in the time and the effort when they or I need you. You can't just run off all day and put in whatever time you can before you go to bed when you come back. That's not how this works."

"Don't you think I know that?" Humphrey replied angrily.

"Well then why is it so important that you spend every second of the day with Miles?" she snapped, "I understand that he needs your help, but he can still take care of himself."

"Because I know what kind of man I have to be for you and the pups, and I can't ever be that without him, okay?" Humphrey admitted.

Kate's face remained firm, but her voice softened, slightly.

"Humphrey, what are you saying?" she asked him.

"I'm saying I'm not good enough for you," Humphrey replied, dismally, "Miles and I made an arrangement that if I helped him get sober, he would train me to be able to take care of you and provide for you like a real male should. Without his help, I'll be useless to you as a mate and useless to the pups as a father."

Kate's frown melted away and her eyes softened.

"Oh, Humphrey," she crooned as she limped forward and embraced him in a nuzzle.

Humphrey felt his throat choke up as he returned the embrace, but he maintained control of his emotions.

"You're everything I could ever want and more," Kate purred softly as she pulled away, "you don't need to prove anything to me."

Humphrey smiled softly as he stared into her gaze, but then his eyes fell to his paws.

"It's just... I want to be able to always be there for you," he began, "to be able to care for you, to protect you, to provide for you. How could I possibly call myself a man if somebody else has to do these things for me?"

Kate gently placed her paw on top of her mate's and drew his eyes up to hers once more.

"Humphrey, you know how I feel about you taking lessons after everything we went through last time," she began, which caused Humphrey to sigh, "but if this is what you truly want, then who am I to stand in your way?"

Humphrey's eyes floated up to hers once more.

"Really?" he asked her as a soft smile was born upon his lips.

Kate smiled and nodded softly.

"You've sacrificed so much to ensure my happiness," she said to him, "I think it's about time I did the same for you for a change."

Humphrey's smile broadened and his tail began to sway slowly between his legs.

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" he asked her happily.

Kate smiled and rubbed her nose against his.

"I think you could stand to mention it a little more," she teased as she pulled away.

Humphrey chuckled and then lowered his eyes down to the bones on the floor of their den.

"I'm gonna go ahead and get these bones out of here," he mused to her, "you wanna come with, and maybe take a little walk around the park?"

Kate cocked her head.

"You think it's a good idea?" she asked him skeptically.

Humphrey nodded.

"Of course," he replied, "I'll be right beside you if you need me."

Kate smiled and nodded.

"Alright," she conceded, more than willing to get out of this den for a while.

Humphrey took his turn to nod then collected the bones into his mouth and turned to Kate.

"Siyou reavy?" he asked her through the bones between his teeth.

Kate laughed and nodded then began to limp out of the den and Humphrey followed.

Life was good today, but he had no idea what evil lied on the horizon. He had no idea that soon, life for him, and for everybody in the park would change forever.


	6. A Dream of Mirrors

**Chapter 6: A Dream of Mirrors**

**_Alight everybody. I'm here yet again with another chapter for Meanwhile, and I have to say that this is one that I've been really excited to get out to y'all. "In the Negative" likely left a lot of y'all with some questions, but there is no need to worry. Almost any question y'all had will likely be answered in this chapter here. Be aware that this chapter is quite long, but hopefully interesting enough to keep even those of you who have the attention span of a sparrow on cocaine involved. So read on, loyal readers, and enjoy the show._**

Humphrey stood alone in the middle of a thick, black abyss. So dark was this place that he could not see the end of his muzzle. He couldn't tell which way was forward and which was back, and all around him was a silence so thick that he could have cut it with his claws. Given his previous experience in Alpha School, he had learned to recognize when he was dreaming, so he felt no fear of the crushing blackness which surrounded him. All he had to do now was try to convince his brain to either wake up or change atmospheres to one which was more pleasant. What would be a good dream? Anything with Kate in it would do. He tried to picture the scene that he wished to portray in his mind, but as he closed his eyes and began trying to paint such an image in his head, he heard a flapping sound at his side.

"That won't work this time, Humphrey," a female voice said to him flatly.

This caused Humphrey to jump slightly and he turned to his left to face the wolf that addressed him. However, he could not see her through the void which divided them.

"Who are you?" Humphrey asked of her skeptically.

"No one important," she replied matter of factly, "I just figured it was time that you learned the truth about your past."

"The truth?" Humphrey asked, confused as he tried to pick the female out of the darkness, "I already know the truth."

"Do you?" the female asked him, quizzically.

Humphrey furrowed his brows in confusion and began to babble as he searched for an answer to such a ridiculous question, but before he could properly formulate his sentence, the female spoke.

"What if I told you that I knew something that you didn't?" she asked him flatly, "would it not pique your curiosity, even a little?"

"What are you talking about?" Humphrey demanded as he felt confusion evolve into frustration, "I'm pretty sure that I would be the most familiar with my own past. It is mine after all."

"For argument's sake, would you be willing to believe me if I told you otherwise?" she asked him wistfully.

Humphrey scoffed.

"If you could prove it, sure," he replied bitterly.

Under the cloak of the darkness, the female nodded then a soft, luminescent glow began to surround her. At first, Humphrey had to squint his eyes against it, but as his eyes adjusted he could then see her clearly. As he gazed upon the glowing figure before him, he felt a nagging sense of familiarity tugging at the back of his mind, but he couldn't place where he had seen her before.

"I see by the expression on your face that you are a little confused," she observed.

Humphrey scowled.

"Is it really that obvious?" he asked her sarcastically.

"Sarcasm won't help anything, Humphrey," she said to him flatly.

"Well, do you mind telling me what this is all about?" Humphrey demanded, "I've had enough with these games."

She nodded once then placed her paw on his head. Humphrey attempted to pull away as she made the move, but as soon as she had made contact, the land around him lit up and he watched as everything seemed to move in reverse. The land remained bare, but up above the clouds, the sun, the moon, and the constellations moved across the sky the wrong direction.

"What's happening?" Humphrey asked her nervously.

"Don't be alarmed, Humphrey," she comforted, "we are simply journeying through your memories."

Humphrey nodded as he lost himself in the spectacle which occurred around him.

Day became night and night became day, endlessly as days came and went, until finally the cycle was complete and they came to rest outside of a den.

"Do you recognize this place?" the mysterious, luminescent female asked.

Humphrey had to take a moment to study the den before which he stood. Then finally he realized where he was.

"It's... my old home..." he began slowly.

"Yes," the female replied with a nod, "everything you had was perfect, but as you are aware, it drew to a terrible close, but time and trauma have disallowed you to grasp the reality of what had truly happened here. Watch closely."

Humphrey's brows furrowed in confusion as the two of them suddenly appeared inside of the den, but when his eyes fell upon a much younger version of himself, in the company of a young female who looked similar to him and under the watchful eye of his father and a female whose fur color matched his perfectly, his jaw dropped.

"What is this?" Humphrey demanded, "this is not my memory."

"Of course it is," the female replied dryly.

"My mother and sister both died when I was born," he argued, "I never knew them."

"Then how is it that you can picture them so clearly?" she asked him, "your mother and sister both survived your birth, Humphrey. This fact cannot be refuted, but your mind buried this piece of your life to protect you from what I am about to show you."

Humphrey opened up his mouth to offer a response, but when he heard the scream, his mouth closed and he turned quickly to the source of the horrible sound.

"Humphrey, what have you done!" his mother cried as she entered the den and saw Humphrey standing in its center, covered in his sister's blood.

Humphrey turned away from the now lifeless body of his sister, whom he had brutally murdered and faced his mother with tear-stained eyes.

"Mom, I..." he began in a strained voice, "I-"

Aside, Humphrey watched shell-shocked as his mother slowly approached the younger version of himself.

"Humphrey, what happened?" she asked him desperately.

"Mom, I'm sorry," he cried as he fell to his haunches, "I couldn't stop it."

"Couldn't stop what?" his mother asked shakily as she struggled to keep herself composed in the midst of everything that was happening around her.

"The monster," Humphrey sniffled, "the monster was here."

His mother broke down at this moment and began to sob. For weeks now, their son had been talking about a monster, and every week, it seemed, his fear continued to grow until it had almost become a paranoia. Both she and his father told him that he was being silly and that there was no such thing as monsters, but now they saw how wrong they were. There was a monster there from the beginning, and unfortunately, this monster was their own son.

Humphrey watched as she collapsed to her haunches and allowed the tears to flow then cautiously slinked up to her. However, when he tried to bury his head into her stomach in search of comfort, she withdrew.

"No, you stay away from me you little freak," she growled as she pushed him away, "there's something very wrong with you."

"Hon, what happened?" a new voice, one which belonged to his father, called from just outside of the den, "what's-"

He cut himself off as the putrid stench of blood filled his nostrils and he barged into the den to find what Humphrey had done.

"Humphrey," he said in disbelief.

Humphrey sat aside and cried deeply, as the guilt for what he had done crushed him under its weight. However, a pain exploded in the side of his head which was so painful that it caused him to lie down and rub his face in the blood-stained dirt.

"No!" he cried in both fear and pain, "the monster's coming back!"

Both parents wanted to help their son, but fear and confusion locked them in place and rendered them unable to do anything besides stand and watch as he literally spiraled into what they believed was insanity.

Meanwhile, Humphrey continued to scream as he rubbed his ears with his paws, but the pain would not go away.

"I'm so sorry, mom!" he cried then gagged as vomit shot from his mouth, "I didn't mean to do it! I didn't want to kill her! It was the monster! The monster made me do it!"

Finally, his father stepped forward to assist his son, but as he took his second step, he paused and withdrew as the afflicted pup fell silent then began to laugh softly.

"What's happening to him?" his mother asked his father through a tear-strained voice.

"I don't know," he replied tersely, "I-"

He was interrupted when Humphrey's soft laugh built into a fit of hysteria which grew to an uncontrollable guffaw. Mother and father watched aside as their son continued to laugh on the ground. Then his laughter was interrupted by a piercing scream.

"No! Stay back from me!" he cried as he clutched his head, "I won't let you do it!"

"Go for help," his mother urged as she turned to her mate.

"What help?" his father rebutted, "we're all alone out here."

"Well, then what are we gonna-"

His mother's voice was cut off in her throat as Humphrey suddenly fell silent and pressed himself starkly to his haunches.

Curiosity held the two parents in place as their son silently sat with his back to them. Then, Humphrey watched as his younger self slowly turned to his parents, and as he saw his face, the blood in his veins became ice.

"No," Humphrey whispered in disbelief.

His parents stared in shock as their son glared into them with piercing, red eyes and off to the side, tears filled Humphrey's eyes as his memory came flooding back to him.

However, he remained silent and only watched with horror as the scene unfolded around him.

"Malachi, we've gotta get out of here," his mother said desperately to her mate.

Malachi nodded and turned to flee with his mate, but before either of them could make their retreat, Humphrey leaped upon his mother and took her to the ground by her ear. Malachi heard her cry out and rushed immediately to her aid, but when he approached and lowered his jaws to fling Humphrey off of his mate, Humphrey turned on him.

Off to the side, Humphrey closed his eyes as his younger self reached up and latched onto his father's throat, then pinched them tighter when he heard the pop then the scream which followed.

Humphrey fell to the ground in company of his father's body and he pulled away as blood from Malachi's neck coated his face. He knew that, while his father was still alive, he would not be for much longer, so he turned his attention to his mother, who backed slowly away from him and left his father to choke on his own blood. The pup licked his lips as he began to move toward his mother, and blood dripped from the fur on his chest and undercarriage between the trail of crimson colored paw prints that he left behind him on the floor of the den.

"Humphrey, there's something very wrong with you," she said in a voice which trembled with fear as she watched her pup encroach upon her, "you need help."

This statement caused the pup to chuckle as he continued to slowly press upon her.

"Looks to me like the only one who could use some help right now is you, mother," he sneered.

"Humphrey, don't come any closer," she warned, but the pup continued his approach, "Humphrey, please. Don't make me hurt you."

Humphrey flashed her a bloody, toothy grin.

"You won't hurt me," he said to her flatly.

His mother gasped when she felt her tail hit something hard behind her and she realized that he had backed her up against a wall. Quickly she turned to face her son once more and she saw that he was preparing to make a leap at her. She was terrified. In her entire life, she had never had to fight. She didn't know if she could do it, but something deep inside of her was being stirred to life by the fear that she felt and it made time seem to slow down.

"Fight or die," her mind told her, "defend yourself now or be killed."

She didn't even know what happened, but when her son made the leap at her, she seemed to move before her mind told her to do so. Humphrey growled as he flew past her and struck the wall with his face. He yelped in pain as he reflected off of the wall and fell to the ground and shook his head as he tried to regain his paws, but as he rose, he was turned over and pinned onto his back by his shoulders.

"Humphrey, stop!" his mother pleaded as she stood over him, "just stop! It's over!"

Humphrey struggled beneath his mother's weight, but he couldn't get free.

"Get off of me!" he demanded as he continued to struggle.

"Humphrey, stop!" his mother implored as tears snaked through the fur on her cheeks.

However, Humphrey continued to struggle and the longer that he could not free himself, the angrier he seemed to become. A low growl began to rumble down in the base of his throat as he continued to struggle beneath her and his eyes began to glow a brighter red. His mother noticed this and a wave of fear washed over her.

"I said get off of me you f***ing c**t!" he screamed then clamped down on her paw.

In his anger, he had gained strength the likes of which should have been impossible for a pup his age, but as his teeth clamped down upon his mother's paw, they continued to clench until there was a dull crunching sound. His mother cried out in agony as her son's teeth shattered the bones in her paw and she pulled away.

As soon as Humphrey was free, he rolled to his paws and leaped at her again and this time she was not prepared; so when he struck her, she fell straight to the ground and landed hard on her side.

However, this seemed to wake her from her temporary shock and she rolled over onto her back to defend herself. Humphrey altered his stance as she moved so that he was in a position which was prime for his assault upon her and as she settled upon her back, he made a strike at her throat. However, she threw up her paws to defend herself and he clamped down upon her left leg. This time, though, he released it quickly, but blood still dripped from the holes left by his teeth. His mother writhed with agony and brought her hind leg up then raked her claws along Humphrey's stomach, leaving three deep gashes.

From aside, Humphrey lowered his eyes to his stomach and stared in shame at the scars which ran diagonally from the base of his ribs to his left thigh. He felt sick as the reality from which he had hidden for so long slapped him in the face. All this time he had believed that his father was the monster, but in reality, he was the one responsible for all of it. He had a good life, a mother and father who adored him, and a little sister who cherished him, and he destroyed it all. He lowered his head, but the female beside him compelled him to return his eyes to the scene which unfolded before him.

The pup snarled in pain and rage and boxed his mother on the side of her muzzle which knocked her chin up and to the side. For only a moment, her throat was exposed, but that was exactly the lane that Humphrey needed and he went for it. With the speed and precision of a snake, he struck out at his mother's throat and locked his jaws around her jugular. His mother gasped and instinctively lashed out to defend herself against her assailant. She caught Humphrey solidly on the chest and sent him hurdling across the den. However, as Humphrey's paws left his mother's body, he latched down tighter upon her throat and the force of his body being thrown did all of the work for him. His momentum was arrested only for a moment as his mother's neck was pulled taught, but that brief pause was quickly replaced by motion once more as, with a dull pop, Humphrey successfully ripped his mother's jugular from her neck.

There was a gurgling sound which drove into Humphrey's ears and he pinched his eyes closed. He couldn't take anymore.

"Make it stop," he begged as tears began to stream down his cheeks.

"I can't, Humphrey," the glowing female refused, "you have to see this."

Humphrey turned a teary glare over to her, but before he could unleash his anger upon her, a flapping sound caught his attention and he turned to see a new female wolf in the den before him.

And that was when he realized. It was her. She was the one who he had seen as a child.

"Deceiver, leave this vessel!" the female demanded.

However, the pup laughed as he collected himself and retook his paws.

"Make me," he sneered as he charged at the female.

The female evaded his attack and turned around as he landed then knocked him over onto his back.

"Deceiver, leave this vessel!" she commanded as she placed her paw on his head.

"You can't get rid of me!" he laughed, "I'm in his head now, bitch! I'm here to stay!"

The female scowled and tried again.

"Deceiver, leave this vessel!" she yelled yet again, but again, the monster only laughed.

"Humphrey I want you to listen to me," the female called to the place in which Humphrey's true self had been buried, "you've got to fight this! Only you can stop him now! You must define yourself! Remember who you are!"

"I think you get the gist from here," the female said as she clicked her claws and the scene faded away.

A moment of silence ensued as Humphrey struggled to grasp everything that he had seen, but finally he found his tongue.

"Why did you show me this?" Humphrey demanded as he wiped tears from his eyes, "why did you make me remember?"

"Because now that you are old enough, you can understand the truth," she replied.

"What are you saying?" Humphrey asked her, confused, "what the hell was that thing?"

The female sighed.

"The Deceiver," she replied flatly.

"The who?" Humphrey asked her.

"Mendacium the Deceiver," she replied, "a foul, horrid creature whose sole purpose is to cast the world of wolves into darkness." A pause. "He invaded your body, overpowered your mind, and forced you to kill your family. You've buried that memory since, deep inside of your mind- so deep in fact, that you created a false memory which you believed to be the truth for your entire life. But the truth is, the blood of your family coats your paws."

Tears began to sting Humphrey's eyes.

"But why?" he asked her, "how is this even possible?"

"Your background with Jack and Mary Long has made you into a man of faith, has it not?" the female asked him.

Humphrey's eyes furrowed into a look which portrayed to her the depth of his confusion.

"Yeah?" Humphrey replied, "but what does that have to do with anything?"

The female drew in a long, slow breath.

"It is said that to each race of man and beast, there is a being of supreme power assigned to protect and guide them," she began, "it is believed that each presents itself in a different fashion based off of what each society can understand. While humans have many interpretations, the most common is of one martyr of Heaven, while you, the race of wolves, have envisioned the spirit realm as an order of spirits who each control their own natural element. Naomi, the Water Spirit, Terra, the Earth Spirit, Luna, the Moon Spirit to name a few. Each share power over their domain, but all answer to the god Akritok, the Spirit of Space and Time, who, as you believe, created the universe and everything in it. Think, and you will understand."

Humphrey stared at the female, lost, but after a moment it clicked. His eyes widened and his brows furrowed.

"Are you saying that you are one of the spirits?" he asked her shakily.

She simply nodded.

"Well... which are you?"

"I am nobody," she replied, "I am merely your guardian."

Humphrey was lost in the throes of disbelief.

"Do all wolves have a guardian?" he asked her.

The female shook her head.

"No," she replied, "only you."

"What?" Humphrey asked her as he continued to struggle to wrap his head around everything he was hearing.

"Those who know you say that you have the luck of the Devil on your side," the female began, "but there is far more at work here than mere luck could ever conjure."

Humphrey remained silent as the gravity of what she was telling him sunk in.

"None of what has happened to you is mere circumstance or coincidence," she continued on in his silence, "you are the chosen wolf."

"Chosen?" Humphrey asked her nervously, "chosen for what?"

"To lead all of wolfkind against the forces of evil which mount to corrupt and destroy the sanctity of your species," the female replied, "your influence will change the history of your race forever."

Humphrey was reeling, and the gravity of what he had been told struck him so hard that he collapsed onto his haunches.

"But... I'm not.."

"Special?" the female asked him, "or gifted in any way?"

Humphrey lowered his head, unable to find words.

"My father chose you," she began, "because he knew what kind of man he wanted to be the light of all wolves. He saw your plight as a pup, and witnessed how even in the face of despair, you never once lost sight of who you were. Mendacium knew that my father sought to destroy him, and when he discovered that you would be the one to do so, he attempted to corrupt you. He made you kill your own family, and though I could not remove him from your body, he could not have been locked away inside of your head without a soul as noble and true as yours to keep him at bay. We have been there to guide and protect you since the day you were born."

Humphrey began to pant as his lungs contracted in his chest.

"So my whole life," he began slowly, "has been the will of someone else?"

"No," the female replied, "Your life has always been your own. We cannot meddle with free will, but we have never been far away to help you when we could."

"Then where were you when that thing got inside of me?" Humphrey demanded, "if it was your job to protect me, then how could you let it ever get close to me?"

The female sighed.

"I was deceived," she admitted, "we all were."

"Even your all-knowing father?" Humphrey seethed skeptically, "if I didn't know any better, I'd say you let this happen."

The female relapsed into silence under the accusation.

"You... did let it happen," Humphrey muttered in disbelief.

The female stepped forward.

"Humphrey please-"

"You son of a bitch," Humphrey growled as tears sprung to his eyes.

"Humphrey-"

"How could you do that to me!" he yelled, "I murdered my family because of you, you sick f***s!"

"Please, listen to-"

"No, you listen to me," Humphrey snapped, "I'm a lot of things. I am a wolf. I'm an omega. I am a husband, and I'm about to be a motherf***ing father. I am not just some puppet that you can make dance and do your bidding, and if you think that's the way this is gonna work, you've got another thing coming!"

"Humphrey, you don't have a choice," the female argued sternly, "whether you like it or not, you're in this and if you choose to do nothing, you will lose everything you hold dear."

"Threatening me won't work," Humphrey barked, "Gods or not, I won't be bullied into-"

"Humphrey it's not a threat, it's a guarantee," the female interrupted, "the Deceiver is still alive, and he's somewhere inside of the park, but he's weak and lying low until he can regain his strength."

"Then why can't you do something about it?" Humphrey barked, "you know he's here, so why don't you and your holy whatever go out and find him?"

"Because we can't," the female replied, "we are powerless against him."

Humphrey scoffed.

"Then just what in the f*** makes you think that I can stop him?" he demanded harshly, "how am I supposed to do something that gods can't?"

"Because, Humphrey, you have been given the tool to do so," the female replied calmly.

"Let me guess," Humphrey began venomously, "the answer is inside of me, but only I can figure it out?"

"No," the female began as she struggled to maintain her composure, "I can tell you the answer, but you're not going to like it."

"Well I haven't liked anything else you've told me, so why break stride now?" Humphrey seethed sarcastically.

The female drew in a long, slow breath.

"This was your design from the very beginning," she explained, "my father knew exactly who you were destined to be the moment you were conceived, as did the Deceiver. The Deceiver knew of your creation and knew of my father's plans to use you to destroy him, and as we had expected, he tried to interfere. All he would have to do was invade and corrupt your mind and my father's weapon would be turned against him. Since you were a pup, he knew there was no chance you would be strong enough of will to shut him out. We took a gamble on your own power ourselves, but in the end it paid off. He threw a wrench in our plans when we discovered that he had bonded to your spirit, but so long as you kept him contained and didn't allow him to take control of your emotions, there was little danger. Yes, we allowed Mendacium to enter your body, but had he not, you could have never served your purpose. When Mendacium entered your body, he unknowingly placed himself in the path of his own demise, because only those who have been cursed by the Deceiver have the power to stop him."

"So I am just a pawn then," Humphrey growled, "great. Outstanding."

The female sighed and she opened her mouth to speak, but Humphrey spoke before she could.

"So what else have you been up to up there?" he demanded. "If this was all ordained then was there ever anything that I did on my own? Did I end up here under the accord of your father? Am I married to Kate simply because it was all part of the plan?"

"Yes and no," the female replied.

"I'm looking forward to hearing this one," Humphrey scoffed.

"My father had it in his plan for you to wander after your encounter with the Deceiver, because in order to build true strength, you first had to suffer," she explained, "he also had it in his will for you to be found, but as to where and by whom was all contingent upon circumstance," she said to him, "it was also in his will to give to you someone with whom your spirit could be kindred, someone with whom your bond would be so great that not even death could separate you," she continued, "not even my father knew who your Other would be, because we could not interfere with your free will. However, when we saw you take a particular interest in the one known as Kate Glover, we monitored you very closely and made sure that we did everything we could to assure you successfully married her. Not only because we value your happiness, but because of your design to change your world for the better."

Humphrey didn't know what to say, and henceforth a moment of silence ensued.

"So... I owe my marriage to you and your father?" he asked her in disbelief.

"Only partially," the female replied, "we could not force her to love you. You had to win her heart on your own. All we did was help nudge her in the right direction. Like that night on the train for instance."

Humphrey drew in a breath then lowered his eyes.

"Do I owe my life to you?" he asked her softly, "I remember you from my dreams. You pulled me and Kate out of the abyss."

The female shook her head.

"No," she replied dryly, "I merely opened the door to life for you after it had already been closed. Your survival you owe to yourself, and unfortunately to the Deceiver."

Humphrey's brows stitched together in confusion.

"What are you saying?" he asked her.

"I'm saying that you should have died," the female answered, "the damage that Gauge inflicted upon you was severe. Typically when one of your kind is in that condition, they die within a day. You, however, were an exception, and that was not because of us. The only thing that kept you alive was the succubus that invaded your body those years ago, because he needed you in order to regain his strength. He repaired your body and mind from the inside, and all the while slowly grew more powerful, because your mind had been weakened in your state of comatose. You recall his attempt to take control before you returned the first time, do you not?"

Humphrey nodded slowly.

"It was not your skills alone that prevented him from successfully taking control of your body," the female explained, "as he repaired your body, he searched for the one piece of you he needed to destroy in order to effectively dominate your mind, but this piece he could not find. Can you tell me what that was?"

Humphrey had to take a moment to think about what the female wolf had asked him, but after about twenty seconds, the answer became clear.

"My soul," he replied softly.

The female nodded.

"Yes," she replied, "you've beaten him before in your mind, but if he had managed to find your soul, there would have been no stopping him."

"Well, what stopped him from finding it?" Humphrey questioned her, "I was completely lost while he led me along until I was strong enough to wake again."

"Now this part is interesting," the female began with a smile, "because the answer is within you, but you do not know."

Humphrey cocked his head.

"The necklace that you gave to Kate last year is very special," she explained, "its value cannot be measured, and yet, in the waking world, its presence is a mystery."

She paused.

"It would be impossible to bring a tangible object back from the realm of a dream," she continued, "but what you and Kate perceived as dreams were actually instances in which your spirits had left your bodies in search of each other."

Humphrey's jaw fell slack.

"You mean like a legit out of body experience," he said to her in disbelief.

The female nodded.

"Yes," she replied, "the ability of one's spirit to leave their body is very rare, and it is even more rare for these spirits to be able to make contact with each other inside of the veil. You and Kate were able to achieve this because you are kindred spirits, and your fates are now intertwined."

Humphrey remained silent as he tried to take everything in, so she continued.

"The experience of out of body ventures is quite tricky," she began again, "notice how there are discrepancies, inconsistencies, and many cases of spottiness between your experiences?"

Humphrey had to think for a moment, but he soon realized that she was right.

"Yeah, like Kate's necklace, actually," he replied, "she says that she received the necklace from me as a gift in a dream she had while I was under, but it didn't make any sense to me. I had no idea what she was talking about, even after she showed it to me. I had never seen it before."

"That's because before you went into comatose, the necklace did not exist," the female replied.

Humphrey's brows stitched together with confusion.

"Excuse me?" he asked her.

The female nodded.

"Don't worry if you do not understand," she assured, "that's why you have me."

Humphrey flattened his ears and sighed.

"Okay," he began, "so how is it that this necklace did not exist before I went under? And why don't I remember how I got it or when I gave it to my mate?"

"It's simple," the female replied, "just as your mind blocked out the memory of you killing your family, your mind blocked your memory from recalling the forging of the necklace."

Humphrey's ears perked.

"But why would it do that?" he asked her as he took a step toward her.

"In order to protect you from the Deceiver," the female replied, "there are parts of your mind that even he cannot access, and it was here that you buried the existence of the necklace and its presentation to Kate, because at the time you knew its importance. Though now that you have buried it, you have forgotten."

Humphrey nodded slowly.

"You keep telling me that this necklace is important," Humphrey inquired, "but why? What makes it so special?"

"You tell me, Humphrey," the female told him, "you tell me why it is that the Deceiver was not able to overpower you. You tell me why it is that he could not find that last piece of you that he would have needed in order to kill you."

Humphrey's eyes widened.

"You mean the necklace..."

"Is your soul, presented to Kate in tangible form on Earth in order to protect it from the Deceiver," the female concluded for him.

The weight of what she had just told him was so great that he collapsed into his haunches.

"But... that's impossible," Humphrey said in disbelief.

"Not as impossible as it may seem," the female replied, "the soul, even out of body, can still dictate the conscience of its owner. Yours is no exception. Just so long as your soul remains intact, so will you."

Humphrey was reeling.

"But... how do you know all of this?" he asked her.

"Initially we didn't," the female replied, "the Deceiver placed us in the dark while you were under, and it was only after you banished him from your body that we could help you. Once the Deceiver was disposed of, we could enter your mind once more, and it was then that we discovered that your soul was missing."

"But how did you do that?" Humphrey asked her, "if I had locked this piece of information away, then how were you able to locate it while the Deceiver was not?"

The female sighed.

"This little bit of information may be slightly distressing to you, but we can access these memories at a cost," she replied slowly.

Humphrey's head cocked.

"Cost?" he asked her confused.

"In order for us to access these memories which you have hidden away and bring them out of the abyss, we have to replace it with a different memory of yours," she explained, "but don't worry. These memories that we use are either insignificant or hurtful."

"Insignificant or hurtful or not they're still my memories," Humphrey argued irritably, "what gives you the right to alter my memories without my consent?"

"All that is needed is implied consent," the female replied, "if your subconscious knows it to be for your own good, you allow us to do as we please inside of your mind regardless of if we have verbal consent or not."

Humphrey scoffed, but he knew that she was right.

"Fair enough," he replied, "but how do I know that this isn't all some crazy hogwash?"

"Have you never taken a close look?" the female asked him, "have you never noticed how, while in your presence, the crystal in the necklace will glow white?"

Humphrey's eyes widened, because he had taken note of this anomaly before, and now that he knew why, he was terrified.

"Well... how do I put it back?" he asked her frightened, "there is no better place for my soul to become lost or damaged than in the mortal world."

The female sighed.

"That's the thing," she said, "you can't just put your soul back."

Humphrey leaped to his paws.

"What do you mean I can't just put my soul back?" he demanded, "it's mine, right? So why can't I just swallow it or something?"

"You can't simply put your soul back now that it has been removed because in order to return your soul to your body, your spirit would have to leave, venture to the physical world and retrieve it," she explained, "this wouldn't normally be a problem but when you returned from the veil the second time after you rescued Kate, you returned damaged, and that part of you that allowed your spirit to roam was lost."

"What do you mean lost?" Humphrey demanded, "how?"

"I wish I could explain," the female said to him in a voice which was woven with regret, "but I can't, because I don't have an answer."

Humphrey rolled his eyes.

"Great," he replied sarcastically, "so what am I supposed to do now?"

"I don't know," the female replied, "but from now on, the protection of your soul is entirely up to you. Keep it safe."

Humphrey stepped closer.

"But that doesn't help," he said to her, "if the Deceiver is inside of the pack it's only a matter of time before he discovers the truth."

"I'm sorry, Humphrey," she replied through a sigh, "but there's nothing I can do."

"But-"

"I'll say no more," she concluded, "now wake up."


End file.
